


Where Moonlight Doesn't Reach

by I_need_a_nap



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, Female Seiya Kou, Not Beta Read, Slice of Life, fun sibling dynamics, kinda a slow burn, lots of cussing, more characters will join later, seiya and haruka have a friendly rivalry, seiya and usagi are just normal teens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:27:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26186410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_need_a_nap/pseuds/I_need_a_nap
Summary: Seiya Kou has three goals she wants to accomplish before the end of her first year at Juuban Municipal High school:1) Become a starter on their American Football team2) Write a super-awesome song and perform it in front of a huge crowd3) Get a cute girlfriendShe has her work cut out for her, but Seiya Kou has never been one to back down from a challenge.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Seiya Kou/Tsukino Usagi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 31





	1. The First Meeting of Rattail and Bunhead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanna preface this by saying I don't hate Mamoru or anything, and I'm not trying to make him the bad guy. I just needed him to break up with Usagi and leave her with a broken heart for this story to work out.  
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy the first chapter in this fun tale about high school romance!

“Seiya, get your elbows off the table.” 

Blues eyes drifted from the TV screen to the brown haired girl glaring down at them. Taiki, the most responsible of the Kou sisters, was giving Seiya an icy look that could freeze the hearts of anyone that looked at it. Unlucky for Taiki, Seiya had grown immune to the look a _long_ time ago. 

“You know, technically, they’re not on the table.” Seiya hummed, always happy to antagonize her sister. “Remember in chemistry, when we talked about how atoms make up all things?” Seiya knew Taiki probably knew way more about chemistry than Seiya ever would. Hell, Taiki probably knew more now than Seiya would ever know in her entire life time. But, that’s what made talking to Taiki about basic chemistry facts in a patronizing tone all the better. “Well, atoms never actually _touch_ each other, they just get really close.” Seiya shrugged her shoulders. “So, technically, my elbows aren’t _on_ the table, they’re hovering an atom’s length above it.”

After finishing her little chemistry speech, Seiya dared a little peek at her sister, and boy, was Taiki _pissed_. Her eyebrows were so scrunched up that ugly wrinkle lines formed all around her forehead, and her lips were so deeply etched in a frown that it looked unnatural. Seiya couldn’t help but let a snort escape her, which made the scathing look even worse. 

“ _Seiya._ ” Taiki sounded legitimately angry, like she was ready to go grab a butcher’s knife from the kitchen and murder Seiya right then and there. “Get your elbows off the table.”

“Ooooooh,” Seiya mocked, fake fear in her voice. “How scary.” Despite her teasing, Seiya did lift her arms up and off the table. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her basketball shorts, her go-to summertime pants.

“Would it kill you not to be a sarcastic ass for one minute?” Taiki muttered, frustrated. 

“Yeah.” That little quip earned Seiya another steely glare, which she responded to with an innocent smile. 

“Anyways,” Taiki breathed out. “I wanted to let you know not to come up to our room or use the phone for an hour. I have a telephone call with that professor I’ve been talking about lately that cannot be interrupted.”

Seiya nodded. “Yeah, alright.” She pulled her hand out of her pocket and flashed the OK sign to Taiki. “No prob.” While Seiya did like messing with people, she would never purposely interfere with something so important. This call was huge for Taiki, something about pursuing high-level poetry and literary studies with some big wigs this fall, and while it didn’t really appeal to Seiya, she would never want to ruin her sister’s chance at something she cared about.

“Thanks.” Taiki ran a hand through her hair, letting out an exasperated sigh. Now that she didn’t look pissed off, Taiki simply looked tired and anxious. It kinda made Seiya feel a little bad about messing with her earlier.

But like, only _a little._

“Hey, don’t stress about the call.” While not the best at the whole encouragement thing, Seiya still gave it her all. “You’re like the smartest person in Japan. You’ve got this.” Seiya punctuated the end of her sentence with a wink and a flick of a finger gun. 

Taiki snorted and rolled her eyes, but she had a soft smile on her face. “Thanks.” 

“No problem.” Seiya hummed. “Go break a leg.” With that, she and Taiki exchanged a wave before Taiki turned around and headed up the stairs.

Now alone in the living room again, Seiya propped her elbows up on the table and turned her attention back to the TV. An American Football game was on, with two local teams Seiya had never heard of before going head to head. It was a pretty one-sided and boring game, but it was the only sport playing on TV right now. Luckily though, in a mere three minutes, at seven o’clock sharp, two of Japan’s greatest American Football teams were going face off in an highly-anticipated grudge match. 

“Oh, you’re down here.” Yaten commented as she trudged down the stairs, probably just getting kicked out of their shared room with Taiki. Seiya turned to her and nodded her head in greeting before turning back to the TV. “You watching anything good?” The sound of steps echoed behind Seiya as Yaten walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge and grabbing something out of it.

“American Football. And could you grab me a bottle of water?” 

Seiya heard the fridge door shut. “I should’ve known you were watching that boring stuff.” Yaten walked right past her by the table, going straight for the couch. 

Seiya frowned. “Did you not hear me? I asked for a water.”

“I heard you, I just didn’t grab it.” Yaten replied, reaching over on the sofa and grabbing the remote. Before Seiya could say anything, Yaten had flipped the channel to some shitty game show. Now Seiya was doubly pissed off: one for Yaten ignoring her water request, and two for changing the channel.

“Hey! I was watching that!” Seiya protested, standing up. 

Yaten waved her off, opening the can of cold green tea. “Well, it’s my turn with the TV.”

“But the game I’ve been waiting for all week was about to come on!” Seiya marched over to Yaten, glaring at the back of the silver haired girl’s head.

“Don’t care.”

“Gimme the remote.”

“No.” 

The digital clock by the TV changed to 6:59 and Seiya felt the pressure build. She had to get the remote back and change the channel before kickoff. And well, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Flinging herself over the couch, Seiya made a lunge for the remote. Yaten was quick though, hugging the remote to her body while holding her can of green tea out and away from the sofa. 

“You dumbass! You’re gonna spill my tea!”

“Then give me the remote!”

“No way in hell!”

Since Yaten had to split her focus between the can and the remote, Seiya was able to get a firm grip on the remote and began to tug. Yaten wasn’t one to give up easily, though. Leaning to the side, Yaten was able to rest her can on the coffee table, which then allowed her to grip the remote with two hands. Quickly, she tugged down, breaking Seiya’s grip on the remote. Then, in a very childish move, shoved the remote down the front of her sweatpants. Both sisters looked up, meeting each other’s gaze. 

“Pull it out, now.” Sweat ran down the back of Seiya’s neck. She could feel the clock ticking. 

“No way.” Yaten drew her words out. “If you want the remote, go on and get it.” Seiya bit her lip, looking down to the pointy and rectangular bulge in her sister’s pants and then back up at Yaten.

“You act like I won’t.”

“Then stop stalling and do it.” Yaten challenged. 

So, Seiya reached forward, trying to shove her hand down her sister’s pants. Predictably, Yaten curled forward and fought back, trying to make Seiya’s task harder. And within a few moments, the girls had become a tangle of limbs on the sofa, still wrestling for the remote in Yaten’s pants. That was, until, their mother made her way down the stairs. The girls froze as Kakyuu, their mother, stared at them with a disbelieving look. 

“What are you two doing?” 

Seiya, now red, pulled her hand out of Yaten’s pants and hopped off the couch. “Well, Yaten changed the channel and refused to give me the remote, so…” 

“So she attacked me.” Yaten finished. Behind her back, and out of their mother’s sight, Seiya gave Yaten the finger. “Mommy, Seiya’s flipping me off.” Seiya turned even more red, whipping her head around to glare at Yaten, who grinned in response.

“Seiya, really darling?” Her mother’s disappointed tone had Seiya feeling like a bag dog. The black haired athlete turned back to her mother, keeping her eyes down and on the floor. “You're a high school student, you can't keep acting so childish.” Kakyuu walked over to Seiya, cupping her daughter’s cheeks in her hands and lifting her face up. “I know moving is hard, and you’re still adjusting to this new place, but that’s no reason to misbehave. I know you can do better than this.” Kakyuu offered Seiya a smile. “So, let’s start acting like a high schooler, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Seiya grumbled. Kakyuu rewarded that response with a kiss on the nose. 

“Good. Now, apologize to Yaten.” 

Turning around to face her smug faced sister, Seiya let out a sigh. “Sorry I tried to wrestle you for the remote. It was childish.” 

Yaten hummed, tapping her cheek. “I don’t know. That didn’t sound very sincere to me.” Seiya bristled, but before she could snap back, Kakyuu tapped her shoulder. Holding in a groan, Seiya pulled her face into a tight smile.  
“I’m really sorry for being so childish and fighting with you about the remote.” Seiya’s voice was unnaturally high and girly, it was her way of trying to make her apology sound sincere yet not at the same time. 

Yaten let out a giggle, letting a victorious smirk spread out on her face. “Apology accepted.” She waved Seiya off, turning around and resting on the couch, going back to watching the cheesy game show. Moving past her, Kakyuu walked to the sofa, sitting next to Yaten to watch the game show as well. Looks like Seiya won’t be watching her game anytime soon. She’ll probably just have to read about it in the paper tomorrow. 

Which fucking sucked. 

Squishing her face together with her hands, Seiya tried to block out the strong feelings of annoyance and disappointment that were flooding her system. Maybe she should go upstairs and play some guitar. That always made her feel better. As soon as she started for the stairs though, Seiya remembered Taiki’s meeting. Stopping short, Seiya sighed. Going upstairs was out, and honestly, Seiya didn’t want to stay downstairs and watch bad game shows with Yaten and her mom. 

So where _could_ she go?

Outside, her brain immediately told her. Going outside was always fun and relaxing. She didn’t have to listen to corny hosts tell boring stories or unfunny jokes. And if she was lucky, she might run into people playing some sort of sport.

“I’m heading to the park.” She announced as she walked towards the front door, stopping to slip on shoes. Kakyuu called back, reminding her to be safe, but Seiya was already out the front door before Kakyuu could finish her sentence.

As soon as the warm hues of the setting sun hit her face, and the cool breeze ruffled her hair, Seiya could feel her earlier frustration melting away. She walked from their doorstep to the sidewalk, turning the corner to head to the park. A few kids were still running around the street or in their yards, their loud screeches and cheers blending into the background. A pair of sisters ran past Seiya, chasing after some bird that was flying way over their heads. 

Sisters… 

Instantly, Seiya’s bad mood was back. Yaten was always so annoying, disregarding everyone and hiding behind their mom at the first sight of danger. And she called _Seiya_ childish! It was so hypocritical and aggravating .

But even so, being called childish wasn’t a horrible insult. Seiya nodded her head to herself in agreement. High schoolers shouldn’t have to act like adults 100% of the time, that would be boring and stupid. No, when you’re in high school, that’s pretty much your last chance to act childish and have fun. After that, you have to go get a real job and support yourself and others. And when you’re an adult, you can’t stay up till three in the morning playing video games or hanging out with your friends. You can’t waste all your money on sports equipment and music supplies. You can’t spend all your time fawning over your super hot and super amazing girlfriend. High school was your last chance to do all of that, so Seiya was going to be as childish as she wanted to and enjoy her youth till the last second.

That’s why she created a list for herself, a list of goals she wanted to achieve by the end of her first year in high school. First, she wanted to become a starter on the American Football team. American Football has been her favorite sport since she was a little girl, and she wanted to be able to play it on a highly competitive level for the next three years. Second, she wanted to write an amazing song all on her own and play it in front of a huge crowd. Seiya has always loved performing with her guitar, but she’s always wanted to try writing some of her own music. She wants to share her feelings and dreams with people through it, and maybe even inspire other people with it. Finally, Seiya wanted to get a girlfriend. For self-explanatory reasons.

Taiki and Yaten both laughed when they found this list in her notebook, but what did they know? This was important to Seiya, so she was going to get it done. She was going to complete every single one of her goals by the end of the school year - she _knew_ she was. Because she was Seiya-motherfucking-Kou, and she didn’t fail at anything.

Seiya was drawn out of her own little internal monologue when the fences of the local park came into view. Picking up her pace, Seiya prayed that some guys were hanging out at the park and playing something. Baseball, basketball, soccer, or any sport really. Seiya was itchy to get moving, to stop using her brain for an hour and just run around to her heart's content. As she rounded the corner, Seiya was met with disappointment. There was no one on the green grass surrounding the playground. Not a single person. Looks like playing for the next hour was out of the question. 

Seiya’s eyes drifted to the playground, figuring she’d just go sit on the swingset until Taiki’s call was over. She expected the swings to be as empty as the rest of the park, but she was wrong. On one of two swings sat a girl, probably her age, with bright, brilliant blonde hair and wide blue eyes. She looked gorgeous. 

Seiya could feel her throat go dry. She _had_ to go talk to this girl. You know, introduce herself and make some moves. Get a head start on goal number three. 

Looking down, Seiya felt self-conscious of her usual at home lounge wear. She was in her old basketball shorts she got in middle school and a baggy white t-shirt. This was not a good way to make a first impression, but it’s not like she could run home and change. She’d have to make the best of it. Rolling up her shorts and smoothing out her shirt made her look a bit better, and it was honestly the best she could do at the moment. But the time for stalling was over, it was time to go introduce herself. 

Getting closer to the blonde just made her more beautiful. The warm light from the evening sun highlighted her features in a way that was almost angelic. Her blonde hair (that had two cute little buns in it, which was adorable) was glowing, it looked like the girl was in some sort of fancy European portrait from the 1500s. 

Seiya could feel sweat rolling down her back and neck, she could not mess this up. Not with such a cute girl. She’d never be able to forgive herself if she fucked this up.

Once she was a meter’s length away though, Seiya noticed that the girl’s eyes were brimming with tears. Seiya paused for a moment, her foot stopping short and scraping against the sand. Well, there was no way Seiya could flirt with this girl now. Even though her sisters claimed she had no skills on how to read a room, Seiya did have enough common sense to know not to hit on a depressed girl. Still, maybe she should talk to her and see if she could make the blonde feel better. Or would she just make things worse?

Fortunately for Seiya, she didn’t have to make a decision because the sound of her foot quickly stopping in the sand had gotten the girl’s attention. A pair of sad blue eyes turned to Seiya, who was frozen to the spot like a deer in headlights. 

“Can I help you…?” The girl asked in a miserable and soft tone. The sad tone sounded unnatural coming from this girl. It was an odd thing to say about a girl Seiya’s never met before, but there was a strong feeling in her gut that said something was horribly off here. And just imagining that a bright and lively girl was suffering alone was enough to make Seiya’s stomach turn.

Seiya, now desperately wanting to help make this girl feel better, took a bold step forward, shaking off her earlier nerves. “Nope. I was just coming to the park to hang out when I saw you sittin’ over here looking sad.” Seiya helped herself to the swing next to the girl. “So I figured I’d come over and see if you wanted some company.”

“Oh, ah, thank you.” The girl nodded her head and didn’t say anything more for a moment, just continuing to lean against the chain of the swing and stare off into the distance. Seiya could feel her foot fidgeting, she didn’t do good at just sitting in one place not moving a muscle, but she bid her limbs to chill out for just a few minutes while she talked to this girl. 

“Actually, I have a question for you, if you don’t mind me asking…” The girl spoke up out of nowhere, making Seiya turn her head to face her. Even though the girl wasn’t looking at her, Seiya still offered the girl an understanding smile.

“Of course not, ask away.” 

The girl paused for a moment, biting her lip as she thought through her words. “Is it weird if you’ve been dating someone for a long time, but you still don’t want to have sex yet?”

“Not at all!” Seiya responded immediately, earnest about every word. Instantly, her heart felt heavy for this girl, who was probably feeling like shit because her shitty ass partner was trying to guilt her into sex. “You don’t do that kinda stuff unless you’re comfortable, end of story.” Seiya nodded, agreeing with herself. On the other hand, the girl was staring at her with a wide gaze and didn’t look fully convinced. “Like, even in marriage and stuff, sometimes one person just isn’t feeling it at certain times. And that’s alright.” Seiya reached out and patted the girl’s shoulder. “It’s completely normal to not want to have sex with your partner yet, especially at our age. No matter how long you’ve been dating.”

The girl finally looked convinced, the edges of her lips curling up into a very small smile. “Thanks… At least I know I’m not a weirdo anymore.” Her smile had turned from a small and weak one to a more sardonic and self deprecating one. “That’s one thing off my chest.” Fuck, Seiya just wanted to ask this girl for the address of her dumbass partner so she could go beat the shit out of them personally. 

“They aren’t tryna pressure you into it, are they?” Seiya leaned in, concern written all over her face. Apparently, though, that was the wrong question to ask, because tears began to pour down the girl’s face. 

“Not anymore…” She sniffled, bowing her head down as her hands came up to rub her wet cheeks. “He broke up with me…” What Seiya wanted to say was: good-fucking-ridance, you don’t need to date some sex-obessed asshole anyways. But she realized that _probably_ wasn’t the right thing to say in this situation. Instead, Seiya reached for the girl’s shoulder that was closest to her. She gently rubbed and squeezed, alternating between motions as the girl sobbed into her hands. 

“I know breaking up sucks, but, this is a good thing.” Seiya spoke slowly, taking the time to think through each word before she said them. She did not want to make this girl more upset than she already was. “I may not know all the details, but, you two obviously wanted different things from the relationship, and it wouldn’t have been healthy to continue. So, think of this as a fresh start.” The girl’s sobs had calmed down into sniffles, her back slowly rising and falling against Seiya’s hand. “You’re still allowed to be sad about it all though, but it’s important to remember that it’s not all bad.” 

When the girl continued to sniffle into her hands, Seiya internally cursed herself. Did her words just make things worse? Did her well-meaning intentions just hurt this poor girl even more? While Seiya was busy was mentally kicking herself, the other girl had calmed down her sobs. With a final wipe of the eyes, the blonde sat up, which caused Seiya’s hand to be pushed off her shoulder and onto her back. 

“I never thought about it that way.” The girl said to Seiya, her voice sounding a bit more hopeful than earlier. “So thank you, for telling me that. It makes me feel a bit better about the whole thing.”

Seiya gave the girl an encouraging smile, relief flooding her every pore. “It’s no problem-” Seiya realized she had never actually gotten the girl’s name, but with a quick glance to the most prominent feature of the girl, a nickname was easy to come up with “-Bunhead.” The girl’s eyes scrunched into an annoyed look while she muttered something along the lines of ‘why does everyone call me that’.

“I have a name, you know.”

“Yeah, it’s Bunhead, isn’t it?” 

“No.” The girl shook her head, her blonde pigtails flopping around her. “It’s Usagi. Usagi Tsukino.” Her voice sounded a bit stronger, more firm and less shaky. More like how Seiya imagined she would sound when she first saw her.

Seiya nodded, grinning a wide mischievous grin. “Yeah, that’s what I said: Bunhead.” Any trace of earlier tears were gone as Usagi got more annoyed, her lips poking out in a cute pout while her eyebrows furrowed in irritation. 

“U-sa-gi.” Usagi stressed each syllable as she spoke out her name one more time. 

“That’s what I’m saying!” Seiya lied. “Bun-head.” She imitated Usagi in emphasizing each syllable in the nickname. 

“U-sa-gi.”

“Is something clogged in your ears? We’re saying the exact same thing right now?” Seiya didn’t know why she started teasing Usagi in the first place, but she was on a roll now and she certainly wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. And it seemed to be cheering Usagi up. The previously downtrodden and depressed girl was full of life and (what Seiya hoped was) playful annoyance.

“No! You’re saying Bunhead, I’m saying Usagi.” Usagi nodded to herself. “Which are totally different words.” 

“I dunno, sounds the same to me…” Seiya let her voice trail off, grabbing the chains of the swing and swaying back and forth. Her sly little grin grew wider as Usagi’s face grew redder and redder. 

“You’re so mean…” Usagi didn’t try to be subtle as she scanned Seiya’s features, trying to find inspiration for her own mean nickname. “Rattail!” Seiya’s face instantly grew red, her hands flying back to pat at her ponytail. 

“It does not look like a rattail!” Seiya’s hands flew up to her ponytail, holding it as if to protect it from Usagi’s taunts. Her face was red with embarrassment, and she could even feel some heat on the tips of her ears.

Now it was Usagi’s turn to have a teasing grin on her face. “I dunno-” Usagi parroted Seiya’s words from earlier “-looks that way to me.” The two were lost in eye contact for a moment, Usagi’s eyes gleaming with joy at getting revenge while Seiya playfully glared, before bursting out in synchronous laughter. It was a good, hardy laugh. One that had Seiya and Usagi gripping their stomachs and gasping for breath by the end of it. 

Seiya wiped a few stray tears of laughter from her eyes. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, Bunhead. You’ve got a real beautiful smile.” Usagi’s smile went soft and her cheeks tinted pink, she still had a twinkle of sadness in her eyes, but she looked much happier than earlier.

“Thank you - not just for the compliment but for being so nice to me, too.” Usagi scratched her cheek. “It’s all thanks to you that I’m feeling better.”

Seiya grinned. “Well, duh. Of course it’s thanks to me.” She reached out and poked Usagi square in the forehead. “Anyways, it’s getting pretty late.” Seiya gestured her head towards the sun, which was about to disappear under the trees. “And cute little girls like you shouldn’t walk home after dark.” The athlete stood, offering Usagi a hand. “So you better get going, yeah?” 

“Aw, but I wanted to keep talking with you.” Usagi sighed, swinging her legs in a childish manner. Seiya could feel her heart skip a beat at the innocent statement, her cheeks dusting pink. Meanwhile, Usagi took Seiya’s hand, using it to pull herself up. “I guess this is goodbye, Rattail.”

“Seiya! It’s Seiya!” In an uncharacteristic high and embarrassed tone, Seiya quickly corrected Usagi. “And, we can always talk tomorrow - or something.” Seiya reigned in her high pitched voice, letting her usual cool demeanor and teasing grin spread back on her face. “You’re really fun to hang with, Bunhead. You’re easy to tease.” 

“What a mean reason for wanting to hang out with someone.” Usagi rolled her eyes, a playful smile on her cheeks. “I don’t know if I want to befriend such a mean person.”

Seiya laughed before feigning a look of hurt. “Even if that mean person was gonna buy you lunch?”

“Lunch?” Food was apparently Usagi’s weakness, because her eyes lit up and she stared at Seiya expectantly. 

“Yeah. I was thinking we could go hang out at a diner or something and get lunch together, but since I’m so mean, I guess not.” Seiya shrugged, shaking her head. “Which is a shame, you know. Because the place I was gonna take you has a really big ice cream sundae - that’s proven to fix broken hearts.”

Usagi’s eyes were sparkling. “Like, how big?”

“Bigger than your head.” 

“Really? That big?” Seiya swore she saw some drool leak out of Usagi’s mouth as the girl dreamed about the big ice cream sundae. “And you’re paying for it?”

“Yep.”

“Then I’m in!” She nodded her head rapidly, with a very determined look on her face. Usagi must take food very seriously.

“Alright.” Seiya hummed, shoving her hands in her pockets. “Then meet me here tomorrow at noon.”

“That sounds great!” Usagi nodded. With that, she stepped back, giving Seiya a small wave. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then, Seiya.” Seiya, the dumbass, almost said ‘yeah, it’s a date!’ before stopping short. That would be a real shitty thing to say to some girl that just got dumped. So, instead, she opted for the simple:

“Yeah, see you tomorrow, Bunhead.” 

Usagi rolled her eyes at the nickname, sticking her tongue out as she turned heel and walked out of the park. A feeling of pride rushed through Seiya’s whole body. Not only did she successfully pull Usagi out of her sad state, but she also was able to get plans to hang out with her tomorrow! Seiya grinned to herself, overflowing with happiness, before giving Usagi one last look. The blonde had a spring to her step that definitely wouldn’t have been there before. Her back was straight and even from far away, Seiya could feel the lively energy bursting off of her. It was nice to see how Usagi usually acted when she wasn’t sad.

Happy with how Usagi was doing, Seiya allowed herself to turn around and start her walk home. She felt giddy and warm all over. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter! Please don't be afraid to tell me what you think!  
> (Also, if you were wondering: the title is a reference to "My Friend's Love", one of the songs that the Three lights sings. I figured since this was a no-powers au, this was like the world where 'moonlight didn't reach' because there's no Sailor Moon or anything. So I figured that would be a fun title for this story)


	2. The Ice Cream That Fixes Broken Hearts

Seiya had spent an embarrassing amount of time in the bathroom this morning. First, she took a very long and thorough shower. Scrubbing every crack and crevice she had, trying to make sure she was as clean as a whistle. After that she meticulously shaved her legs and armpits, making sure that she got every single inch of hair off. Then she stole some of Yaten’s fancy body wash to make herself smell good, but she put way too much on. Once she stepped out of the shower, her nose crinkled at how overpowering the smell of lavender was on her. But she persisted through the pain. She vigorously brushed her teeth with the desperation she usually did when she had a dentists appointment that day. She flossed and used mouthwash, and then stole one of Yaten’s whiten strips. It felt weird, but if it made her teeth whiter it would be worth it. While her teeth were being cleaned, she blow dried her hair and brushed it nearly a thousand times before it was all silky and smooth. Finally, after nearly an hour in the bathroom, Seiya had finally completed her preparations for her not-a-date. 

She had to keep reminding herself that this wasn’t a date and that she shouldn’t try to make it one. Trying to date someone who just got finished with a relationship wasn’t cool. Today was just gonna be two girls hanging out and becoming friends. Just gals being pals. That’s all.

She still wanted to make a good impression though, to make up for her dingy appearance last night.

When she made it back to her room, reeking of lavender, Yaten instantly became mad, jumping up from her bed. Still wrapped in her towel, Seiya took no notice of Yaten's dramatics and instead walked over to her dresser.  
“You used my body wash?” Yaten looked livid.

“Yeah.” Seiya shrugged, ignoring her enraged sister. “I used your teeth whitening strips too. They feel really weird.”

“What the hell!” Yaten stormed over to Seiya. “I paid for that stuff! You can’t just use it without asking!” Seiya continued to ignore her, looking through her drawer and trying to plan her outfit for the day. Should she match her shoes with her shirt? What shoes was she gonna wear anyways? “Hey! Are you even listening?” 

Seiya waved her off. “Yeah yeah, I am. I’m a horrible sister, blah blah. I’m sorry.” There was no inflection in her voice throughout her entire speech. “Quick question, would it be tacky to rip the sleeves off this t-shirt?” Seiya grabbed an old band t-shirt and lifted it up to show it to Yaten. “And turn it into a muscle shirt?”

Yaten paused in her yelling to examine the shirt. “Yes, it would be tacky.” The silver haired girl crossed her arms, finding her urge to yell gone. But, she was still bitter about Seiya stealing her stuff. “You owe me two hundred yen.”

“All that yelling for two hundred yen? Jeez.” Seiya rolled her eyes before turning the shirt around and staring at it. “And you really think it’d look tacky?”

“Yes.”

“Huh.” Seiya deadpanned, staring at the shirt for a few more seconds. Personally, Seiya thought that ripping the sleeves off would make it look kinda cool. So, she ripped off a sleeve anyways. The fabric easily tore at the seams, breaking off into little threads.

Yaten jolted, surprised by Seiya suddenly ripping the sleeves. “I literally just said it’d look tacky.” 

“I think it looks tough.” Seiya responded, turning the shirt around and ripping the other sleeve off. 

“Then why did you ask me?”

Seiya just shrugged in response before holding up the shirt. From behind the fabric, Seiya could hear Yaten groan and march back to her bed, flopping into it so loud the whole house could probably hear it. But Seiya didn’t care. The shirt was perfect. With the sleeves ripped off, the t-shirt became a black muscle shirt with the logo of one of her favorite bands on it. It was something out of her dreams. The ends of the shoulder area were a little fringed, though, but that was nothing some scissors couldn’t take care of.

Walking over to the shared desk in the sisters’ room, Seiya reached over Taiki, who was currently hunched over some papers. She grabbed the pair of scissors out from their pencil cup and took them back to her bed. Which was the top bunk on the bunk bed in the corner, Taiki’s bed was below hers. Seiya climbed up the ladder, sitting on the edge of her bed with a determined glint in her eye as she began to cut the frayed edges. 

“So, what are you getting all spruced up for?” Taiki asked, a knowing tone in her voice. Seiya glanced up, wary of incoming teasing and prodding from her sisters. “Is it, perhaps, for a girl?” From across the room, Yaten put down her magazine, becoming interested in the conversation. Green and brown eyes were both locked on Seiya, eagerly waiting for a response. 

“Yeah, what about it?” Seiya retorted, keeping a cool and collected air about her. If she got flustered or embarrassed, then Taiki and Yaten would instantly start making fun of her. But, if she acted like it was no big deal, then she’d be safe from their taunts. 

Yaten rose a brow. “When did you even have time to meet a girl? Haven’t you been spending all your time at the gym?”

“I met her last night at the park.” Seiya hummed, turning her attention back to making sure the edges of the shoulder sleeves were straight. Something in this room had to be. “We’re going out to lunch today.”

Taiki whistled. “Wow, you’re moving pretty fast, Seiya. Should we start planning the wedding?”

“Oh haha. Very funny.” Seiya replied with a flat voice. “It’s not even a date, we’re just hanging out.”

Yaten and Taiki exchanged a silent look. 

“Not a date?” Yaten echoed.

“Just hanging out?” Taiki repeated. The brainiac looked genuinely confused. “Seiya, I’ve literally never seen you put so much effort into personal hygiene.” Seiya shot her a glare, and Taiki held up a defensive hand. “Not to say you smell bad or anything-.”

“I’ll say it. You reek of gym socks every day.” Yaten interjected, earning her a glare from both sisters.

“-But, you’ve never spent more than twenty minutes in the bathroom before. Nor have you ever tried lavender scented body wash or teeth whitening strips.” Taiki gave Seiya a very stern, no-nonsense look. “So don’t try to lie to us by saying it’s not a date. You wouldn’t be trying this hard if it wasn’t a date.”

“Yeah.” Yaten intervened again. “You didn’t even try this hard with your appearance when you went to those auditions in second year.” 

“Well it’s not a date!” Seiya responded, acting extremely standoffish due to her sister’s interrogation. “This girl, she just got dumped by her boyfriend recently. So, like, I’m not gonna hit on her _yet_. We’ll become friends first - and then in a month, when she’s over him, I’ll make my move.”

There was silence for a moment before Yaten whistled. “Wow, Seiya. I never knew you could use your brain so much, congrats.”

“Are you calling me stupid?” Seiya barked at Yaten, dropping her homemade muscle shirt on the bed. 

“Yeah.” 

Seiya reached over her bed, grabbed a pillow, and beamed it at Yaten as hard as she could. It made a satisfying ‘plop’ as it hit her right in the nose.

* * *

Seiya was at the park a good ten minutes early. Her foot tapped nervously as she stood off to the side of the park, giving families and kids plenty of space to play and do their thing on the grass and playground. After some convincing from Taiki, Seiya realized the muscle tank might’ve not been the best choice if her goal was to make a good impression today to make up for last night. So here Seiya was, in some jeans and one of her favorite t-shirts. It was pale yellow on the bottom but a pale green on the top, with stripes of the same pale yellow on the sleeves. It wasn’t her fanciest or best looking shirt, but it was comfy and casual.

And Seiya would be able to enjoy its cottony goodness more if she weren’t so nervous. 

She didn’t even know why she was so nervous about this not-a-date. Even when Seiya has gone out and on a date with someone she didn’t feel this stressed out. And there was really no pressure for their lunch today! It wasn’t a date or a big event, it was just two girls who were acquaintances coming together to hang out and become proper friends. Even though her rational brain told her all of this, Seiya still couldn’t help the sweat that was building up on her palms.

She looked down, checking the small watch Taiki had lent her. It was a few minutes past noon now, Usagi should be here any second-.

“Heya! Seiya!” Usagi bounded up to Seiya, who quickly looked up from the watch. The blonde was dressed in a cute way, with adorable little pink shorts, a blue jacket with a bunny embroidered into the front, and a green and yellow striped shirt. It was an odd combination of colors, but Usagi made it work. Yaten would probably hate her outfit, though.

“Hey, Bunhead.” Seiya acted cool, as if she hadn’t been nervously waiting for Usagi’s arrival and checking her watch every ten seconds. “Good to see you.”

“You too!” Usagi replied cheerful enough. But then, her whole demeanor changed. She leaned in, an eager grin on her face and an evil glint in her eyes. “So? Is it time for ice cream?” Seiya snorted. This girl truly had a one-track mind when it came to food. 

“Wow, I feel like you’re just using me for ice cream.” Seiya said in mock hurt. 

“Maaaybe I am.” Usagi drew out her words in a conspiratorial tone, a mischievous grin on her face. Seiya was tugged forward as Usagi grabbed her arm and tugged. “But you did promise me, soooo…” Usagi let her sentence trail off, batting her eyelashes at Seiya. 

Seiya let out a short laugh. “I guess I did, huh? Well, follow me.” Usagi nodded eagerly, letting go of Seiya’s arm as she began to walk, leading Usagi to her free lunch. Any nerves from earlier were gone, completely eradicated by her fun back-and-forth with Usagi.

Their walk to the diner was quick and mostly quiet. The only words spoken were from Usagi who was singing a little impromptu song about getting lots of ‘yummy ice cream in her tummy’. It was a cute little jingle. And Seiya promised to herself if she ever went big in music, she’d make her own version of the song and sing it live to embarrass Usagi. It would be titled: “Yummy Ice Cream in my Tummy.”

Once they entered the diner and were seated, Usagi started to flip through the menu. “So, where’s the ice cream? I wanna see my options.” Seiya rolled her eyes, flipping her menu over and holding it out so Usagi could see it. 

“All the dessert is on the back page, Bunhead.” Usagi didn’t need any more instruction. In mere milliseconds, Usagi had whirled her menu around, examining the selection of ice cream sundaes with a critical eye. “You can get some normal food too, you know. My treat.”

Usagi looked up at Seiya with a very disappointed look. “Come on, Seiya. If I do that, then I’ll be filling up valuable ice cream space in my stomach.” This girl was truly something. Seiya’s never met someone so committed to ice cream as Usagi is. 

“I guess you’re right.” Seiya nodded and Usagi went back to combing through ice cream options with a fine tooth comb. Since she already knew what she wanted, Seiya didn’t bother skimming through the menu. Instead, she watched Usagi, who had her tongue sticking out in a very cute manner while she tried to decide which ice cream she wanted.

“Hey Seiya.”

“Yeah?”

“Will you still pay - even if I get extra toppings?”

“Yeah.”

“And if I get extra scoops?” Usagi looked up at her, eyes narrowed into slits as she stared at Seiya. 

“Even if you get extra scoops.” Seiya confirmed with the nod of her head, desperately holding the laughter that was building in her chest. Happy with Seiya’s answer, Usagi let out a maniacal laugh, pushing the menu away. “Hopefully your order doesn’t cause them to run out of ice cream. I’d feel really bad for the other customers.”

Usagi rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. “I’m not gonna order _that_ much.” Seiya hummed in disbelief but didn’t comment. Instead, she changed subjects. 

“So, Bunhead, where do you go to school?”

Usagi’s nose crinkled at the word school, as if it physically hurt her to hear the word. “Juuban Municipal High School.” 

“No way! Me too!” Seiya spoke animatedly, suddenly full of excitement. “My sisters and I moved here over the summer, and we’re transferring to Juuban Municipal High School this semester.”

Usagi’s eyes sparkled. “Oh! We could be classmates then!” She suddenly paused. “Wait. What year are you?”

“First year.”

Immediately, Usagi lit up again. “Oh, me too! Do you know what class you’re transferring to?” 

Seiya shook her head. “Not yet. We won’t know until next week when school starts again.” Usagi nodded and went to say something else, but the waiter came over, stealing her absolute attention. Seiya watched in horror as Usagi prattled off some very complicated ice cream order that had lots of additions and changes made to it. The order filled up an entire page of the waitress’ notepad! When the waitress finally turned to her, looking ten years older than she did before hearing Usagi’s humongous order, Seiya simply asked for her burger and two waters. The waitress nodded her head and jotted it down before warily walking away. 

“I do hope you transfer into my class, though,” Usagi commented, acting as though she didn’t just take two minutes to give her order. “I can introduce you to my other friends! I think you and my other friend Minako would get along really well. You both like causing trouble.”

Seiya rolled her eyes, trying to hide how touched she was by the fact Usagi wanted her in her class. “Is that what you think of me, Bunhead? That I just like to cause trouble?” When Usagi nodded, Seiya sighed with a smile. “What a mean way to speak to the person who’s buying you fancy ice cream.” 

Usagi just stuck her tongue out at Seiya in a playful way while the harried waitress came back with two glasses of water for them. Seiya took a sip of her own water, drumming her fingers against the glass. 

“So, what do you do for fun? Besides eating ice cream.” 

Usagi tapped her chin. “Wellllll, I like to read manga, play video games, eat cake, go shopping with my friends, go on dates with…” Her happy mood was instantly gone as her thoughts trailed back to her ex. The vibrant colors and facial expressions going back to the more muted ones from yesterday. Seiya choked on her water, shocked by the sudden mood swing. Quickly, she set her glass down. 

“Hey now. Don’t think about him.” Seiya urged gently, unsure of how to handle this. Usagi had gone quiet though, curling into herself slightly and staring into her water. If she wanted to salvage this not-a-date lunch, Seiya was going to have to act fast. In a panicked flurry, Seiya looked around the diner and scanned her brain, trying to think of anything that could help cheer Usagi up. But nothing was sticking out to her. 

Looking down in defeat, Seiya was met with the dull greens and yellows of her shirt. Everything was going to be ruined now. Tilting her head up to assess the damage, it was clear Usagi had retreated into her own little shell. Her eyes now dull instead of bright. The brightest thing on Usagi now was the bright green and yellow stripes of her shirt. 

_Wait_.

“Hey, ah, Bunhead?” Seiya called out, trying (and failing) to hide the insecurity in her voice. “Did you notice we’re wearing matching shirts? I guess great minds think alike, huh?” Usagi looked between the two of them. Glancing up at Seiya’s shirt before glancing down at her own. Seiya waited for some kind of reaction, anything - even just a simple ‘oh, that’s neat!’, but Usagi didn’t say a word. The athlete’s throat was tight now, she could barely get a word out. A thick, depressed air was all around the table now, and it felt as though it were physically choking her.

“Huh.” Usagi muttered, breaking the tense silence. Seiya could feel her ability to breathe come back. “That’s actually kind of neat.” Relief flooded Seiya’s system as Usagi bounced back from her sadness. Usagi looked up at Seiya, still looking a little bummed out, but better than she was a moment ago. 

Right at that moment, their waitress came back with the main course. She placed Seiya’s burger and fries in front of her before turning around and disappearing back into the kitchen. From across the table, Usagi looked animated again, staring at the kitchen door with an intense focus. Seiya also kept her eyes towards the door, curious to see what Usagi’s ice cream would look like. 

When Seiya claimed yesterday that the ice cream sundaes at this place were bigger than your face, she’d been lying. Or, at least, she _thought_ she’d been lying. 

The bowl of ice cream was big enough that Seiya could shove her whole head in it - and ice cream was still poking out the top! The waitress had to use two hands to set it on the table, and when it landed it made a loud thud. 

Up close it looked even bigger. 

Ice cream filled up the entire bowl, varying in flavors and colors. On top of that was a generous serving of whipped cream, enough to rival the mountain of ice cream. And _then_ , there were copious amounts of toppings. Rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, peanut butter cups, M&Ms, and chocolate sauce. The whole meal itself was probably about 3000 calories - and that was a low estimate in Seiya’s mind. Eating the whole thing in one sitting would probably cause the eater to go into a coma. 

It looked amazing. 

“...Enjoy your meal.” The waitress clearly didn’t appreciate the ice cream in the way Seiya and Usagi did. She left the two to stare at the huge bowl, neither moving a muscle. 

“Are you willing to share?” Seiya asked after a moment, breaking the silence.

“No way.” Usagi replied before grabbing her spoon and going to town. She ate the ice cream like she was a starving woman on death row. Shoveling spoonful after spoonful in her mouth. By the fifth bite, Usagi’s chin and cheeks were covered in brown, ice creamy goodness. But that didn’t slow her down in the slightest. 

Meanwhile, Seiya ate her burger slowly, enjoying the show in front of her. Any doubts, and there hadn’t been many, she had before about Usagi were gone. Usagi was definitely, 100%, gonna be the girl Seiya was dating by the end of the year. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

“What flavors did you get?” Seiya asked in between bites of her burger, once Usagi had slowed down her pace. Taking the chance to pause for breath, Usagi licked her lips clean of the ice cream smudges. 

“I got chocolate, with extra scoops of cookies and cream and peanut butter.” 

“Sounds tasty.” Seiya took another bite of her burger, eyeing the now half-eaten ice cream bowl. “You still don’t wanna share?” Usagi nodded, emphasizing her point with a large bite of ice cream. “How cruel.”

Usagi said something with her mouth open that Seiya couldn’t make out at all. Ice cream dribbled out of her mouth when she did it, though, causing it to fall back into the bowl. A few specks flew onto Usagi’s face. Seiya couldn’t help but break out into hysterical laughter at the sight. 

Usagi pouted, wiping the ice cream off her face and then licking it off her hand. “Hey. It’s rude to laugh at other people, you know.” 

“I can’t help it, Bunhead.” Seiya said breathlessly through her laughs, holding onto her stomach for dear life. “You’re a riot.” Usagi still pouted, not a fan of being the butt of the joke. “Don’t act so sad. It’s a compliment.” Seiya wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes. “I’m saying you’re fun to be around, Bunhead.”

Usagi liked the compliment, her cheeks tinting as a self-satisfactory smile grew on her face. “I know I am.” She shoved another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth, swinging her legs happily under the table. “I’m fun and amazing in every way possible.”

Seiya snorted, picking up her burger. “I don’t know if I’d go _that_ far.” She muttered sarcastically before taking the final bite of her meal. Usagi seemed fine to ignore that comment, fully focused on savoring her last few bites of ice cream. “I can’t believe you finished all that.” Seiya said in awe, staring at the empty bowl.

“Usagi Tsukino isn’t one to let sweets go to waste.” Usagi nodded solemnly, holding a hand to her heart. “I would rather get a million brain freezes or get a thousand cavities before I let a single sweet go to waste.”

Seiya pressed her fingers to her forehead in a mock salute. “I’m truly honored to be eating with such a hero.” She replied in the same somber tone Usagi had used. The two held their military personas for a moment before breaking into giggles. 

“I had lots of fun today, Seiya.” Usagi admitted once her giggles died down. “And you were right - that ice cream really does fix heartache.”

Seiya smiled a small, genuine smile. “I’m glad to hear that.” 

“And I really hope we can continue being friends during the school year, too.” Usagi nodded, quickly adding on. “Especially if you keep buying me ice cream.”

“Sure, sure. I don’t mind.” Seiya waved Usagi off. “We can get ice cream every week if you want. It can be our little thing.” 

Usagi stood, hands on the table, eyes shining as she stared down at Seiya with pure joy. “Really?” Seiya felt her palms go sweaty at the look Usagi was giving her. A blush started to rise up her face but she pushed it down with a cough. 

“Yeah, really.” Seiya confirmed with the nod of her head. Usagi sat back down, smiling brightly. “So, since we’re best buddies now.” Seiya changed topics, sipping her water. “Can you help me with the summer homework?” Usagi froze in her chair, stiffening up like she was a stone statue. Letting out a nervous little laugh, the blonde slowly reached up to scratch the back of her head nervously. 

“I, ah, actually haven’t started yet…” Usagi admitted, sweat building at the top of her forehead. 

“Really?” Seiya rose a brow. “You haven’t worked on it with your friends?”

Usagi’s eyes shifted far to the side, looking out the window. “Well, you see… We’ve been meeting up to work on it, but, I - uh, kinda just read manga under the table every time.” Her scratching became more vigorous on the back of her head. “So I haven’t completed any of it at all!” She let out another high pitched nervous laugh. 

Seiya frowned, rubbing her chin. “Uh, well that is a problem…” An idea burst into her head, making her back snap straight. “I got it!” Seiya leaned forward, grinning. “My sister completed all of it already! And she’s supposed to be out of the house all day tomorrow! I can just copy all of her answers and give them to you!”

Usagi’s eyes were glowing as she held her hands together in front of her chest. “Seiya, you’re my hero.”

Seiya just grinned and winked. “Isn’t that what best buddies are for?” 

The waitress walked back over as Usagi nodded in agreement. Setting down the check and a pen, the waitress shot Seiya a mournful look that the younger girl missed because she was too caught up in Usagi. Quickly reaching out, Seiya grabbed the pen and a napkin, writing down her number. 

“Here.” Seiya held out the napkin. “I dunno if I’ll have free time to physically meet you these next few days, so gimme a call and I can give you the answers.” Usagi nodded, reaching out and taking the napkin. “And you know,” Seiya hummed, “you can call me for non-homework related needs as well.” 

“Sounds good.” Usagi nodded, folding the napkin and slipping it in her pocket. “Oh!” She jolted like she had forgotten something. “Do you know what time it is?” Pulling her hand up, Seiya looked at Taiki’s borrowed watch. 

“Yeah, it’s a little after one.” 

Shooting up from the table, Usagi looked panicked. “Ah! I’m going to be late!”

“Late?” Seiya questioned, raising a brow. 

“My friends and I were gonna go see a movie together at one thirty!” Usagi patted her pockets, making sure she had all her belongings. “I’m sorry to rush out, but I’ve gotta run!”

“Hey it’s no big deal.” Seiya shrugged. “Just make sure to call me soon, alright?”

Usagi gave her a quick smile. “Of course! Talk to you later!” Then, in a blurry of bright colors, Usagi had rushed out of the diner. Seiya smiled as she watched her go, cheek resting in her palm. What a lively, fun girl. 

Lazily, Seiya reached out and grabbed the check. 

“Let’s see… only-” Seiya’s voice got stuck in her throat as her eyes went wide. Her throat was dry and tight as she stared at the price. “Th-three thousand yen?” Quickly she rubbed her eyes, as if it would change the value on the bottom of the receipt. But no, nothing changed. “How can someone order two thousand yen’s worth of ice cream?” Reluctantly, Seiya pulled out her wallet, fishing out her three thousand yen bills. She placed them down, mourning the loss of the last of her money with each passing second. 

If she and Usagi were going to become a couple, she’d need to get a part time job or something to pay for all the sweets.

* * *

“Hey, Seiya.” Yaten said later that night as all the sisters were laying in their beds. “You never gave me my two hundred yen.”  
“I don’t have two hundred yen.” Seiya said in a defeated tone, raising her arm to rest her forearm over her eyes.

“What do you mean: ‘I don’t have two hundred yen’?” Yaten frowned, sitting up in her bed. 

“I’m broke. I don’t have a cent to my name.”

“How?” Yaten and Taiki asked. 

Seiya sighed. 

“Ice cream.”


	3. The First Day of School

Usagi called Seiya the next morning.

It was right before Seiya was about to head to the gym - she was halfway out the door when her mom yelled to her that a friend named Usagi had called. Seiya felt like a little girl as she rushed into the living room and took the house’s only landline phone from her mother. Seiya missed the small smile and farewell Kaykuu gave her before heading off to work, she was far too absorbed in what Usagi had to say.

And she had _a lot_ to say.

Usagi told Seiya all about her exciting day yesterday. About how the movie she and her friends went to go see was super funny and silly - and how Usagi ate an entire serving of large popcorn by herself. She rambled on and on about the amazing cookies her friend Mako made for her, giving Seiya a play-by-play of each bite she took and how tasty they were. Then she told Seiya - in _excruciating detail_ \- about the delicious pizza they had for dinner. 

“You really have a one track mind for food, huh?” Seiya commented once Usagi stopped in the middle of her food-rant to take a breath.

“Food is my favorite thing in the whole world.” Usgai pouted over the phone. Seiya could practically see the blonde jutting her lip out in an offended fashion. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not, I’m not.” Seiya promised. “It’s cute.”

By the time Usagi was done talking about food, Seiya had gotten pretty comfy laying out on the sofa. Which was good, because then Usagi launched into talking about the other fun activities of last night's sleepover. The highlights included: hitting her friend Rei really hard in the face with a pillow during an impromptu pillow fight, making a realistic (apparently it was modeled after some famous castle in eastern Europe?) pillow castle with her friend Ami, using her friend Mako as a personal heated blanket, and - the true high point of the night - singing karaoke as loudly as she could with her friend Minako. 

“I’m glad you had such a good time with your friends.” Seiya hummed, pressing the phone closer to her face. It wasn’t a lie. Knowing that Usagi had close friends to help support her through her breakup was a comforting thought. Even though she had just met Usagi, it hurt Seiya to imagine the energetic girl falling back into a depression.

“Yeah. It was so fun last night!” Usagi chirped into the receiver. “I really can’t wait until you meet them, Seiya. I think they’ll really like you.” She giggled. “Maybe you can be at our next sleepover!” 

“I’d like that.” Seiya commented. She bit her lip, thinking for a moment, debating on whether to voice a risky thought. “Maybe… we could have our own sleepover one day, too.” 

“Ooooh!” Usagi sounded very enthusiastic over the phone. “That would be fun! I wanna meet your sisters!” Pausing in her speech, Usagi quieted. Seiya could hear the sound of the phone cord being coiled in Usagi’s fingers. “I just realized I don’t know that much about you, Seiya. I’ve mainly been the one sharing when we hang out.” She spoke with a soft and thoughtful tone, before it immediately went back to her bubbly one. “So let’s fix that! Tell me all about yourself, Seiya!”

Seiya laughed but complied. She spoke at length about herself first: telling Usagi about her love of sports and music. Seiya reminisced about old championship matches in American football and in basketball, going over every little detail she could think of to make the stories exciting. Then she moved onto her music, telling Usagi about how she plays the guitar everyday. A bit reluctantly, Seiya also mentions that she’s been writing songs as of late - which had Usagi begging to hear one. Flushed but encouraged, Seiya rushes upstairs to grab her acoustic guitar before strumming out the little melody she created. 

“It’s nothing much.” Seiya said as soon as she finished. The phone was resting on the table as she sat on the floor, guitar in her lap. “I still need to tweak it a lot.”

“What are you talking about?” Usagi hollered from the other end. Despite the phone being a meter away from her, Seiya could still hear Usagi clearly. Hopefully Usagi’s yelling wasn’t bothering anyone in the blonde’s house. “That was awesome! They should be playing that song on the radio!” Seiya was so glad Usagi was far away and couldn’t see her, because the poor girl’s face had gone beet red. 

“Thanks.” She muttered out, shoving her guitar away before pressing the phone to her ear again.

Sisters was the next topic Seiya delved into. She told Usagi all about Yaten’s hobbies of music, fashion, and being a total bitch - citing the remote incident of two days ago as proof. Moving onto Taiki, Seiya had _slightly_ nicer things to say, Taiki was also into music (all three of the Kou sisters were) and literature. She would spend hours each day reading and writing poetry of her own. Some very sophisticated poems, and some very mushy-gushy poems. The kind of poems one would be embarrassed about if, say, their sisters read it allowed during class one day. 

“Hehehe.” Usagi laughed evilly on the other end. “I’m totally stealing that idea for Shingo. If he ever does something as sappy as that.”

“Just make sure you have a good escape route.” Seiya had gotten away that day unscathed, but Yaten had not. Just goes to show that jogging everyday pays off. 

“I’m home!” The sound of her mother opening the door made Seiya look up from the phone. _Wait-_

Mom was home already?

Seiya turned to the clock, mouth going wide when she saw it was already five in the evening. Leaning back into the phone, where Usagi was still snickering to herself about messing with Shingo, Seiya spoke up. 

“Bunhead, we’ve literally been talking all day.” 

Usagi stopped her sneering. “Yeah? And?”

“I’ve never done that before…” Seiya trailed off, suddenly feeling a bit unsure of herself. It's not like she was a loser who’s never had friends before. But, she’s never lost track of time like this while talking to one of them. 

“Really?” Usagi asked. “I talk on the phone with my friends for hours! Usually it’s at night but still.” Over the phone, Seiya could hear the sound of Usagi shifting on a bed, probably laying down. “Do you regret talking for this long?” Her voice was quiet and thoughtful again, with a hint of sadness mixed in for taste.

“Not at all!” Seiya was quick to answer, pulling the phone closer to her mouth. “This has been super fun!”

“Yeah! It has been!” Usagi quickly agreed. “Though…” Usagi’s voice trailed off as she tapped her chin. “I feel like we forgot to talk about something very important…” 

“Now that you mention it…” Seiya felt the same thing as well. Was it something they mentioned yesterday? “Oh! The homework!” 

“Oh yeah!” Usagi said in realization. “We forgot all about that, huh?” 

“I guess we did.” Seiya sighed, leaning back. “We’ll have to wait till tomorrow then. I can call you in the afternoon and we can work on it.” 

“Sounds good!” Usagi replied. “So, I guess that’s goodbye for now?”

“Yep. Talk to you tomorrow, Bunhead.” 

“Same to you, Rattail.”

“It’s not a-!” But Usagi had already hung up, leaving Seiya to stew. “Cheeky little brat…” She muttered, standing up and placing the landline back on it’s receiver. 

“So, did you do any of your chores?” From behind her, Kakyuu spoke, her tone slightly threatening. Seiya could feel herself tense up as she slowly turned around. Clearly, from the filled up skin and dirty floors, Seiya had not done her chores. There was no lying out of this one.

“No?”

“Were you on that phone all day?” The only other sound in the room was the sound of Kakyuu’s foot tapping. 

“Yes?”

Turning on her heel, Kakyuu sighed. “Well, you have until dinner is ready to get your chores done, then.” Seiya was already moving before Kakyuu had finished her sentence. 

* * *

The rest of the week was a blur. Seiya would wake up extra early to workout and get her chores done. Then she’d spend the afternoon’s copying Taiki’s homework and talking to Usagi on the phone. While her nights would be filled with playing music and taking abuse from her sisters. 

To say that Taiki and Yaten were having a blast teasing Seiya about Usagi was an understatement. Every night they’d make snide remarks about their long talks on the phone. Claiming that Seiya had been ‘totally whipped’ by Usagi before they even started dating. Their mockery got even worse when they found Seiya’s notebook. 

She had left it out one day by mistake. It was after dinner, Seiya had been writing songs until Kakyuu called her to take out the trash. Since she’d only be gone for a second, Seiya left her notebook open on the desk in the Kou sister’s shared room. Which was a mistake. Yaten, always one to poke her nose in Seiya’s business, decided to flip through the notebook - where she found a page full of hearts and doodles of Usagi’s name and face. When Seiya finally came back inside from taking the garbage out, Taiki and Yaten were laughing so hard they could barely breathe.

Seiya was so mad and embarrassed she didn’t speak to them for a whole day.

But all of that was behind her now, because today, school was back in session. Seiya had never been so excited to go back to school. She had a powerful stride to her step as she and her sisters walked to school that morning. Even if she wasn’t in the same class as Usgai, they could still do lots of fun stuff at school together. Hopefully, though, they would be in the same class. Hopefully.

“Make sure to behave today, you two.” Taiki told her sisters as the school building came into sight. “Causing trouble on the first day won’t help us make a good impression.” 

Yaten snorted. “Seiya’s gonna be too busy drooling over her little girlfriend to get into trouble.” 

“First off, she’s not my girlfriend.” Seiya omitted a ‘yet’ from that sentence. “And second of all, don’t act so innocent. You’re just as much of a troublemaker as I am.” 

“Don’t lump me into the same category as you.” Yaten shot back. 

“Jeez, don’t get so worked up.” Seiya folded her arms behind her head. “You whine too much.” Yaten was about to bite back, before a loud and familiar yell broke up the sister’s conversation.

“Morning Seiya!” Usagi bounded over, grinning. She stopped in front of the trio, bringing the sisters to a halt.

Seiya stopped, flashing Usagi one of her best smiles. “Good morning to you too, Bunhead.” Boy, did Usagi look cute in her uniform. The skirt looked so nice on her. It seems Usagi was also admiring Seiya’s uniform, looking the athlete up and down.

“Wow! You look really good in a boy’s uniform, Seiya!” Usagi leaned forward, looking at the slacks, button-up, and tie combo. “Almost better than Haruka.”

“Haruka?” Seiya questioned with a rose brow.

“A friend of mine.” Usagi responded. Her eyes shifted to Seiya’s sides, before they lit up in recognition and delight. “Oh! You must be Seiya’s sisters! My name’s Usagi!” She gave a quick bow before straightening back up. “It’s so nice to finally meet you! I’ve heard so much about you.”

Yaten smirked. It was the kind of smirk that had Seiya’s stomach rolling. “Oh. We’ve heard _a lot_ about you too-.” Before Yaten could try to embarrass Seiya, three other girls rushed over to Usagi’s side, panting harshly. 

“I’ve never seen you run that fast, Usgai.” Another blonde with a big red bow gasped out. From her limited knowledge of Usagi’s friends, Seiya guessed this was probably Minako. 

“I was just so excited to see Seiya, that’s all.” Usagi responded innocently. Quickly though, she reached out and snatched Seiya’s arm, pulling her closer to the three newcomers. “Let me introduce you all! Guys, this is Seiya. She’s super cool and athletic - and she’s really good at playing the guitar!” Usagi paused for a moment, thinking about whether she was missing anything important. “She also bought me 2000 yen worth of ice cream.”

Seiya, still in a bit of a shock of being yanked into Usagi’s side, just nodded. “Yep, that’s me. Hot, cool, musician, and an athlete.” 

Usagi shot her a look. “Hey, I didn’t say anything about you being hot.” 

“Are you saying I’m not hot?” Seiya challenged. Usagi paused, looking Seiya up and down again. 

“I didn’t say you _weren’t_ hot, I just didn’t say you were hot.” Usagi finally concluded. “Anyways!” She turned back to her friends, gesturing to a blue haired girl. “Seiya, this is Ami. She’s super smart! Like, IQ over 300 smart! And she’s really nice, too.” 

Ami, still a bit winded from running after Usagi, gave a short nod and wave. “Hello. It’s nice to meet you, Seiya.” 

“You too, Ami.” Seiya gave a quick wave and threw in a wink for good measure. The nerdy little girl immediately blushed and stared down at the ground. Oh, this girl was totally Taiki’s type. Seiya would’ve glanced back to check out Taiki’s reaction but Usagi was already pulling her attention to the tall brunette, who seemed a little less than happy that Seiya was making Ami blush. It seemed Taiki might have competition if she goes for the blue haired nerd. How exciting!

“This is Makoto! We just call her Mako, though.” Usagi explained. “She’s the best cook in the whole world! And she’s good at all sorts of other housework stuff too.”

Makoto looked sheepish, rubbing the back of her neck. “Don’t exaggerate so much, Usagi. I’m not that good.” The tall girl turned to Seiya with a bashful smile. “Nice to meet you.” 

Seiya nodded. “Good to meet you, too. I’ve heard a lot about your sweets from Usagi, I’m dying to try some.” Yaten elbowed her hard. “Ow! What the hell was that for?”

“Don’t just ask people for food, dumbass.” Yaten scolded. “That’s rude.” 

Makoto laughed. “Hey, really. It’s okay! I love sharing my sweets.” Yaten looked unconvinced but stayed silent, allowing Usagi to introduce her final friend. 

“This is-.”

“Minako Aino!” Cutting her friend off, Minako spoke at a volume that put Usagi’s yelling to shame. “An aspiring idol, top volleyball player, and a modern day Cupid!” Stepping forward, Minako brushed her hair out of her face in a dramatic fashion. “I’m also a bit of a local celebrity. You might recognize me from a few commercials I’ve done.” Seiya squinted, trying to remember if she’s ever seen Minako’s face before, but she really couldn’t place it. 

“Oh really?” Yaten asked, obviously doubtful. “Commercials for what?”

Minako paused before tilting her head. “Oh, you know. For beauty products and clothes and such.” 

Ami sighed from behind her. “Last week Minako was an extra in a commercial about a local boutique.” Minako instantly flushed and turned on her friend. 

“I was still _in_ the commercial!”

Makoto scoffed. “Yeah, for like, two seconds.” 

Yaten was giggling besides Seiya. “Jeez. So desperate for attention you’ll make an obvious lie?” Minako stopped glaring at her friends and instead turned to face Yaten, giving her a nasty glare that even made Seiya feel a bit uneasy. 

“First off, I technically didn’t lie. I may have not been the star of the commercial - but one day, I promise you, that boutique will be calling me _begging_ for the honor of me promoting them - but I was still in the commercial.” Minako shot back, crossing her arms. “And I am a local celebrity! I’m the goddess of love! A modern day Cupid! I’m known throughout all of Juuban District’s Middle Schools!”

Yaten rolled her eyes. “Wow, you’re loved by middle schoolers. Aren’t you sooooo cool?” She yawned, walking past the big group, ignoring Minako’s death glare. “Anyways, I’m going inside already. If I stay out in the sun any longer I’ll sweat and ruin my makeup.” 

“Oh, so you’re saying you look that ugly by choice?” Minako said in a fake sweet tone. She quickly left her friends to pester Yaten as she walked inside. It seems like Minako was not going to let Yaten insult her like that and get away with it. Yaten was definitely going to have a long first day. 

“Sorry about my sister.” Taiki sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Everyone’s attention turned to the other Kou sister. “She can be a bit...difficult sometimes. Anyways.” Being the traditionalist she usually was, Taiki started her introduction with a bow. “My name’s Taiki Kou. I’m Seiya’s sister. My interests are most things academic, but I’m particularly fond of poetry and literature. I also play piano.” She rose and gestured to Yaten, who was now close to the school’s doors and still being harassed by Minako. “That’s Yaten.” Usagi and Makoto gave Taiki a neutral wave, but Ami stepped forward. 

“You’re interested in poetry?” When Taiki nodded, Ami smiled brightly. “Oh! Have you read the works by-.” She prattled off some foreigner's names that had Seiya, Usagi and Makoto blankly staring. Taiki, though, lit up. 

“Ah, yes! I love their work. Have you-?” The two nerds lost themselves in conversation, walking forward ahead of the group. 

“Did either of you understand a word of that?” Usagi asked, staring at the backs of Taiki and Ami. Seiya and Makoto both quickly shook their heads. “Glad I’m not the only one.”

“I never understand anything Taiki says.” Seiya scratched her cheek. “I’ve kinda stopped trying to decipher it.”

“Well, at least they can talk to each other about smart-people stuff now?” Makoto offered gently. Seiya and Usagi nodded in agreement. The first bell chimed, alerting students to start heading to classes. 

“Oh, well. I gotta go to the teacher’s office so I can get my class assignment.” Seiya pushed her hair out of the way. “So I better run.” 

“It’s past the lockers and to the left.” Usagi told her. “I hope that you get 1-A!” 

Seiya flashed her a wide grin before rushing off to the office. “Me too.” 

* * *

Of course, because she’s Seiya Kou and the universe fucking loves her, Seiya and her sisters had the luck of being put into Class 1-A _and_ they got to sit next to Usagi and her friends. Taiki sat next to Makoto in the middle of the room, which might become dicey later on if the two entered into a love triangle with Ami like Seiya predicts. Yaten was (unluckily for her) stuck sitting next to Minako in the front row. And Seiya, the luckiest girl in the whole world, got to sit behind Usagi. 

They had a blast in class. Passing notes when the teacher wasn’t looking, scribbling on each other's desk, and just causing a general ruckus. It was the most fun Seiya had in school in her entire life. 

“Any ideas on what club you’re gonna join, Seiya?” Usagi asked once school was over, sitting backwards in her chair with her arms on Seiya’s desk. 

“Yep!” Seiya stood. While she did wish she could spend time talking with Usagi after class, she had a mission to take care of. “The American Football club!”

“Oh.” Usagi tilted her head. “Do you wanna be their manager or something?” 

Wrinkling her nose, Seiya looked down at Usagi. “No. I’m gonna play.” She put her hands on her hips. “Just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I can’t play American Football. I’m probably better than half the guys on their team!” Usagi looked somewhat worried, resting her chin on Seiya’s desk and looking up at the athlete with wide eyes.

“Isn’t American Football violent though? You could get hurt…” 

Seiya shook her head. “That’s why you wear padding.” Reaching down, Seiya patted one of Usagi’s buns. It jiggled in a very satisfying and fun manner. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” She grinned and gave Usagi a big thumbs up. “I’m super fast anyways! They won’t be able to catch me!”

Looking a bit more reassured, Usagi smiled. “Well, okay… Just don’t come crying to me if you get all beat up.” Usagi gave her a teasing grin which Seiya quickly returned. 

“Me? Crying? No way.” Seiya grabbed her bag. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Bunhead.” 

“See you.” 

With a final wave, Seiya slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out into the hallway - where she was promptly jumped by three girls. In the chaotic blur of shoves and whispers, Seiya was able to catch glimpses of blonde, brown, and blue hair. Stumbling into an empty classroom, Seiya turned around to look at her ‘attackers’. Predictably, it was Usagi’s three friends. 

“It’s rude to snatch somebody up like that, you know.” Seiya said conversationally, looking around the room. Across the room, blocking the door, was Makoto, Ami, and Minako. 

“That’s what I said!” Ami said in a scandalized hush, her cheeks flushing red. “This was a bad idea…” She curled in on herself as Minako shook her head besides her. 

“Calm down, Ami.” Minako walked over to Seiya. “We just wanted to, well, thank you for helping Usagi out so much.” In a very somber manner, which was off-putting from the Minako Seiya (barely) knew, Minako reached out and patted her shoulder. “When we first saw Usagi after the breakup, we were all so worried. She wouldn’t smile at all.”

“Not even for sweets.” Makoto added. 

“We were really worried about her.” Ami fidgeted. “She was so quiet and closed off. She wouldn’t even talk or hang out with us for a few days.”

Minako nodded. “Yeah. But then, a week ago, she called me out-of-the-blue sounding so much better from before. And that was because of you.” The grip on Seiya’s shoulder had become a little tight, borderlining on being painful. “And while I’m a bit jealous you were able to help Usagi when we couldn’t, I’m still super thankful. So yeah. Thank you for bringing us our Usagi back.” 

While all of this was a very odd way to thank someone, Seiya still appreciated the sentiment. It was clear these girls really cared about Usagi. Bunhead was really lucky to have such good friends. Seiya reached up with her free hand to pat the one Minako was resting on her shoulder. 

“Hey, no need to thank me.” Seiya hummed and stepped forward, passing by Minako. “I was just being a good friend.” She reached out and slid open the room’s door. “Anyways, I have an American Football club to join, so, I’ll see you all later.” 

The girls all said their goodbyes, not planning to keep Seiya any longer than they had. Luckily, Seiya wasn’t bothered again as she walked down to the field. _Unluckily_ , for her though, the American Football team had a sign up on their door. The gist of it was: they were preparing for a big tournament that was happening at the end of the month and weren’t accepting any newbies until after. It was an understandable request, trying to focus on new recruits before a big event was hard, but it still bummed Seiya out. She didn’t want to wait a whole month to play. 

“Stupid tournament…” Seiya grumbled to herself as she walked towards the front of the school. She might as well go home and get started on her homework if she couldn’t play. At the gate, Usagi was waving to someone. Seiya couldn’t see them because the school’s gate blocked her view. Intrigued, Seiya got quiet, sneaking up behind Usagi and looking over her shoulder. No one was there, though. The only thing Seiya could see was a car sharply turning around the corner. 

“Who were you waving too?” 

Usagi jolted, not realizing Seiya had been standing right behind her. Seiya couldn’t help but laugh as Usagi practically launched six feet away. 

“Jeez! Don’t see up behind people like that!” Usagi scolded her, trying to play off her nerves with an exasperated attitude. “Aren’t you supposed to be playing American Football, anyways?”

Seiya shrugged. “Oh, they’re not accepting new players right now. So I gotta wait.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“It’s life.” Seiya hummed. “Anyways, who were you waving to? The air?”

Usagi got red in the face, “actually, I was waving to my friends Haruka and Michiru! They’re students at this school two, they’re second years.”

“Ohhh, second years, huh?” Seiya hummed. “Were they in that car?”

“Yep!” Usagi nodded, smiling. “Haruka’s actually a racer! She drives motorcycles and cars and stuff all the time in competitions.” 

“That’s kinda cool.” Seiya scratched her head. Cars did seem really cool. You could go as fast as you wanted, wherever you wanted. They were perfect for dates too. 

“I was actually just talking to them about you!” Seiya’s mind left car dates as she turned to Usagi with a raised brow. “Michiru is a really good violin player! She fills up entire concert venues! And, well, she was talking about how she’s been looking for a guitar player to perform with her and Haruka at an event - so I mentioned your name!” 

“Really?” Grabbing Usagi’s shoulders, Seiya pulled her close. This could be her big break! Performing with someone who was already big in the music world. “What did she say?”

“She said she’d have to meet you first.”

“Well, you can introduce me tomorrow then!” Seiya nodded and pulled away. “I gotta go home and practice now…” The earlier disappointment of the American Football team was forgotten, Seiya was buzzing with excitement. 

Usagi nodded in agreement, an earnest look on her face. “I’m sure Michiru will love you, Seiya! I’ll introduce you really well tomorrow. I’m gonna practice tonight, just to make sure!” 

Grinning, Seiya gave a quick pat to one of the buns on Usagi’s head. “Thanks, Bunhead. I’ll catch you tomorrow, alright?” With a wave and a wink, Seiya was off, ready to practice her heart out. 

She was gonna knock Michiru’s socks off tomorrow. 


	4. In Which Seiya Makes the Worst First Impression Possible

Seiya walked down the halls of Juuban Municipal High school with a spring in her step. School had finally ended, which meant it was time to go with Usagi to meet Michiru and Haruka, but before they could do that, Seiya had to retrieve her guitar from the music room. She had placed it there this morning, since her teacher was an asshole and wouldn’t let her keep it by her desk. 

Her guitar had gotten extra special care last night. Seiya tuned it nearly three times, just to make sure it was proper pitch, and she cleaned the outside of it as well. The wood was gleaming by the time she was done with it. She had also spent nearly five hours straight practicing. Playing popular pop songs, more technically challenging songs, and some songs of her own creation - anything that would get her prepared for today. Her fingers might’ve been raw and bandaged because of it, but it was all worth it. She was gonna knock Michiru’s socks right off. And then Michiru would recommend her to her industry friends, and then Seiya’s music career would explode. 

Seiya could imagine it now. She’d play a few gigs with her acoustic guitar before getting enough money to buy an electric one. That’s when her career would really take off. Seiya would take the rock world by storm! Her music would be original yet catchy, and it would play all over the radios! Eventually, she’d get so famous she wouldn’t even have to worry about college or getting an office job.

Patting her face, Seiya shook herself out of her daydream. None of that would happen if she flopped today, so she had to focus and put her gameface on. Turning the corner, the doors to the music room came into view, and from it’s cracked opening, Seiya could hear a violin melody playing from inside. Seiya quieted her steps as she got closer, not wanting to disrupt the violin player. Carefully, and quietly, she slid open the music room door, intending to sneak in and grab her guitar without bothering the player. 

That plan quickly went out the window. 

The music from the violin resonated with her very soul the second she stepped into the room. It was powerful and captivating. Each note felt like she was getting punched in the gut. Every stroke of the bow made her hair stand on end. Seiya froze on the spot, her senses overwhelmed by the music. Her eyes trailed around the room, searching for the source. 

The one playing the music was a woman on the other side of the room. Her back was to Seiya, giving the younger girl a good view of her wavy teal hair. She exerted an overbearing aura of maturity and elegance - it made Seiya feel small and childish.

When the song finally ended, Seiya was able to move properly again. 

Seiya took in a deep breath, desperate for air. She had practically been holding her breath for the entire performance. It was loud enough to alert the attention of the woman, who turned her head. Her teal eyes were widened a bit in surprise.

“Oh my, I didn’t realize I had an audience.” She said in airy kind of tone you would expect of such a woman. 

Seiya stared like a deer in headlights for a moment before quickly snapping back into focus. “Sorry about that. I was just coming in to grab my guitar when I heard your violin.” She flashed the woman a charming smile. “Your playing was so good, I just had to stay to the end.” 

“Really?” The woman giggled a bit, turning around fully. “Well, thank you. I’m so glad you liked it.” Seiya nodded, examining the woman now that she could see her head on. She was undeniably gorgeous. Like, if Seiya weren’t emotionally invested in Usagi right now, she would ask this girl if she’s interested in hookups, kinda hot. Every single feature on her body seemed to be beautiful and elegant. She seemed so adult. 

“Are you planning to go to college for music?” Seiya let her gaze linger on the woman before turning to grab her guitar case. From behind her, she could hear the woman start to put her violin in its case as well. 

“I’m not too sure yet.” The woman replied with a hum.

“Shouldn’t you have your college choices picked out already? I thought that was expected of post-summer-break third years.” Seiya commented, grabbing her case. 

“I’m only a second year.”

“No way!” Seiya turned on her heel, looking straight at the woman who was delicately putting her violin away like it cost a million yen. “There’s no way you’re only a second year. Not a high school second year, at least.” This girl looked so old! In a good way, of course. There was no way she was only a second year. Seiya refused to believe it.

The woman raised a brow, an amused smile on her face. “Oh? Why do you say that?”

“You look too pretty and mature to be a high schooler.” Seiya replied bluntly. 

The woman looked shocked for a moment before laughing. “Too pretty, huh? Aren’t you the little flirt.” Seiya was taken aback for a moment before smiling to herself. She could appreciate a playful woman - and this mysterious violin lady seemed to be plenty playful. Which was unexpected, but very nice. 

“Trust me, if I had been flirting, we’d be making out by now.” Seiya smirked at the teal haired woman, who raised an eyebrow mirthfully. 

“Would we now?” The way she said it made it feel like a challenge to Seiya. Her teal eyes were sparkling with mischief and her smile was unreadable. Seiya had never met a high schooler like this before, and it was honestly really exciting. And while Seiya wasn’t really interested in her, Seiya’s interest was fully on Usagi, she still couldn’t help but rise to the challenge set up for her.

Seiya set her guitar case down before she took a few steps, crossing the room to stand right in front of the woman. “Want to find out?” Her voice was in a low, sultry tone thats worked on literally every other girl Seiya had ever tried to seduce.

Before the woman, who was obviously finding this whole situation amusing, could reply, the door to the music room was pulled all the way open. Both girls turned their head to look at the intruder: a tall blonde. For a second, the blonde looked jovia l- then they noticed how close Seiya was to the teal haired woman. Instantly, they looked extremely pissed off.

“Hey punk, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” The blonde snarled, stepping forward.

It seemed the violinist had a boyfriend. A boyfriend who looked ready to rip Seiya’s head off. 

Seiya backed up from the woman, holding her hands up in surrender. “Hey. We were just talking. No need to be so mad.”

The man looked unconvinced, turning to the woman. “Is that true, Michiru? She wasn’t bothering you?” Seiya froze on the spot when the man spoke that name. 

_ Michiru?  _

As in, the Michiru Seiya needed to impress today in order to get started on her music career? That Michiru? Holy shit, Seiya’s music career was fucked now, wasn’t it? This had to be the worst first impression possible. 

“Yes, it’s the truth, Haruka.” Michiru replied with a smile. “She wasn't bothering me at all. In fact, she was making my afternoon quite entertaining.” Seiya had to do a double take, looking at the tall blonde again. If she remembered correctly, Usagi said Haruka was a girl. Seiya rubbed her eyes, looking closer at Haruka. When she looked closely, she was able to notice the slight rise of fabric in the chest area, but the school blazer kept it well hidden. Wow, Haruka really didn’t have any tits, huh? Poor thing.

“Yeah.” Haruka just nodded, keeping her piercing gaze locked on Seiya. It was clear Haruka didn’t like Seiya one bit, which was even worse for Seiya’s prospective music career. Haruka turned to Michiru, holding an arm out. “Let’s go, Michiru. Kitten’s already waiting for us by the gate.”

Michiru picked up her violin case, walking over to Haruka who wrapped an arm around her shoulders protectively. “See you around.” Michiru gave a little wave over her shoulder as the pair walked out, leaving Seiya alone in the music room.

After taking a few moments to collect herself, Seiya let out a sigh and picked her guitar case up. She may have made the worst first impression possible, but that didn’t mean she was going to give up. Despite this setback, she was still gonna try her best to knock Michiru’s socks off.

Seiya walked out of the music room, heading out to the front gate of the school where she promised she’d meet with Usagi. When she got down there, Usagi was standing with Haruka and Michiru, happily chatting with them. 

Well, it was now or never. 

“Hey, Bunhead!” Seiya called out before coming right up to Usagi’s side and patting a bun with her free hand. Michiru’s eyes widened a bit when Seiya came over, but Haruka looked ready to commit murder, especially since she was touching and referring to Usagi so casually.

“Seiya!” Usagi turned her head and flashed her a smile before turning back to Michiru and Haruka. “Guys, this is Seiya! Seiya Kou! She, um…” Usagi looked down to her palm, where there was smudged writing from a pink marker. “Um, she’s a very talented musician and a lively, dependable friend. Who can… ah, Seiya what’s this word?” Usagi quickly shoved her hand into Seiya’s face, who despite the odd circumstances, leaned in to read it without needing to be prompted again.

She spent a good ten seconds staring at the word, eyebrows furrowing. “I can’t make it out properly but it sounds really fancy…” Seiya scratched her head. “What even is all this?”

“Oh, well I wanted to introduce you properly, so I had Ami help me write something! - so I could make you sound really cool.” Usagi explained, pulling her hand back to look at the word. Her face was red with concentration as she tried to wrap her head around it. “But, I actually didn’t understand most of what she said. I just copied it.”

“Oh, it’s fine.” Haruka spoke up, making both Seiya and Usagi look at her. “We met in the music room, I already have a pretty good idea of what kind of person she is.” If looks could kill, then Seiya would be dead twenty times over by now. 

Usagi, oblivious to Haruka’s anger, smiled brightly. “Oh that’s great!” She laughed and rubbed the back of her neck, smearing pink marker all over. “That saves me some work then!”

Michiru gave Seiya a polite smile. “It’s nice to properly meet you, Seiya.” Michiru gave a small nod. “I’m Michiru Kaiou. I’m a second year here at Juuban Municipal High School, a painter, and a violinist.” 

Seiya hummed, impressed. “Wow, painting too? You’re pretty multitalented, huh, Michiru?”

“Kaiou.” Haruka snapped, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “Show Michiru some respect. Call her Kaiou.” Wow, Haruka was really bitter about earlier, huh? She was gonna make knocking Michiru’s socks off especially hard. Though, Haruka did have a point. Michiru was really mature, and her hopefully-future employer. Maybe she should give Michiru a little more respect? Only a little, though. Throwing in a Miss in front of her name should be enough.

“Come on, Haruka.” Usagi butted in. “Who cares about formalities and all that? We’re all friends!”

“I agree.” Michiru added, her eyes lingering on Haruka. Seiya watched as the smaller woman stared Haruka down before turning to Seiya with a far more gentle look. “There’s no need for all that.” Michiru leaned in, raising her hand as if she were about to share a big secret to Seiya and Usagi. She spoke in a conspiratorial fake-whisper. “Haruka’s just being grumpy because she’s jealous.”

“Michi!” Haruka hissed in embarrassment, her cheeks going red. “I’m not jealous of some kid.”

Seiya bit back a scoff, not wanting to piss off Haruka more than she already had. Haruka was really full of it. She was only one year older than Seiya and yet she calls her a kid. Jeez. 

Michiru just giggled before speaking again. “Anyways, this is Haruka Tenoh. Haruka and I are partners in life and in music. She plays the piano, runs, and races professionally.” Michiru hummed again, that familiar faint-look of mischief in her eyes. “She’s also a bit like you, Seiya. She has a bad habit of flirting with any cute girl she sees.”

Haruka got all red again, but before she could protest, Usagi spoke up. “Yeah! Back when I met these two in middle school, Haruka used to flirt with me all the time! One time, after school one day, she had me all back up against a bench. I thought she was about to kiss me and everything! She pulled away, but her lips were like-” Usagi held up her hand, pinching the air so tightly her index finger and thumb were almost touching “-that close.” Usagi nodded to herself. “She used to flirt with all of my friends. Mako and Mina had really big crushes on her for like a year.”

While Seiya was a bit mad to hear that Usagi had been hit on so aggressively by Haruka, she was too overjoyed at what power this knowledge gave her. She turned back to look at Haruka, who’s cheeks were flushed an embarrassed shade of red.    
“Wow, aren’t you a hypocrite?” Seiya hummed. “I say one flirty thing to your girlfriend and you get mad, but you flirt with other girls all the time?” Seiya shook her head in mock disappointment. “Poor Miss Michiru, stuck with a hypocritical womanizer.” Haruka looked ready to snap back, but Michiru put a hand on her shoulder to calm her.

Usagi blinked owlishly, quickly turning her head between Seiya and Michiru. “Seiya? You flirted with Michiru?” Quickly turning her head, Seiya looked at Usagi. There was an odd temor in Usagi’s voice that Seiya couldn’t quite detect. Was Usagi jealous? Were her Seiya Kou charms already working their wonders? 

“Kinda, yeah.” Seiya responded. “I just said she looked pretty, which, anyone with eyes would agree with.” Technically that’s the only flirty thing she said. As she told Michiru, if she had been flirting, they would’ve still been busy making out in the music room.

“Oooooh.” Usagi nodded slowly. “I didn’t realize that you were interested in girls - like in the same way Michiru and Haruka are.” Usagi gave her a determined look and a thumbs up. “Just know I support you, Seiya! I don’t think it's weird at all!”

Oh. While Seiya was glad Usagi wasn’t disgusted by Seiya being a hardcore lesbian, it wasn’t the reaction she was hoping for. Seiya was kinda hoping for a ‘oh wow I’m so glad you like girls too, Seiya! We should make out and cuddle until I forget all about my crusty-dusty ex’ kinda thing.

“Thanks, Bunhead.” Seiya replied, a bit lamely, rubbing the back of her head. A loud clearing of the throat brought Usagi and Seiya’s attention back to Michiru. 

“While this banter has been fun. I would like us to move onto hearing your music, Seiya.” Seiya had nearly forgotten why she was there in the first place.

“Of course.” Seiya nodded, her grip tightening on her guitar case. “Do you want to go back to the music room or?”

Michiru shook her head. “The event that I’m playing for is actually taking place in the park at the Juuban District’s Shopping Center. So I was hoping you could play there for me. Haruka will drive us there, and then she can drive you all home, of course.” You all? Did that include Usagi?

“Yeah, that’s fine with me, Miss Michiru.” Seiya turned to Usagi. “You’re coming too, Bunhead?”

Usagi gave her an offended look. “Of course! Your music is so good, Seiya! I wanna hear it in person this time!” A blush came onto Seiya’s cheeks so fast, she couldn’t stop it. She tried to play it off though, turning her head away and talking with a false bravado. 

“Jeez, you don’t need to butter-me-up so I’ll buy you ice cream again, Bunhead.” Seiya scratched her head, using her arm as a way to hide her blush from Usagi. This girl said such sweet things without even meaning to. It was going to give Seiya a heart attack one day.

“I’m being serious!” Usagi pouted. “I was really moved when you played for me!”

Seiya was a bright red now. “Thanks.” She glanced over at Haruka and Michiru, who both had very different reactions to this little display. Haruka, of course, looked pissed off. She was probably angry at how close Seiya was with Usagi. Michiru, though, had a nearly unreadable expression, except for a small knowing smile on her face. 

“Well, Haruka, can you bring your car around?” Michiru said. Haruka nodded, giving Seiya a final parting glare before she stalked off. 

* * *

The ride to the park was filled with Usagi’s aimless chatter. The energetic blonde talked all their ears off about anything and everything. About her cute cat Luna, about the funny manga she read last night, about how Mako promised to bring her in cookies tomorrow, and literally anything else that popped into her head. It was comforting. Any anxieties Seiya had about performing or any remaining anger about Haruka’s standoffishness was stripped away by Usagi’s infectious happiness.

When they finally got to the park, Seiya felt on top of her game again. She was gonna play the most technically challenging song she knew, absolutely-fucking-rock it, and impress Michiru so much that the she offered Seiya the position on the spot.

Haruka parked near the little outdoor theater, which made the group’s walk short. The stage and seats were stone, which honestly sounded uncomfortable to sit on. But it gave the whole area a very old and unique feel to it. Three rows of seats all angled inwards to look at the massive center stage. 

It was an impressive set up. 

“Well, Seiya. If you’re ready, why don’t you go on up and play something.” Michiru said, not looking back at Seiya. She took a seat in the front row, gently placing her violin case in front of her. Haruka quickly followed, sitting next to Michiru and wrapping an arm around her. 

“Is there anything specific you’d like to hear?” Seiya asked, walking up the steps to the stage. There was nowhere for her to sit up here, so she’d have to play standing. 

Usagi had sat next to the couple, and she raised her hand and waved it around. “Oooh! You should play that song you played for me last week! The one you wrote!”

“I told you, it’s not complete yet.” Seiya loved that song, she was pouring her heart into it. “I can’t play a half-baked song for an audition.”

“But it was so good!” Usagi protested. Seiya rubbed the back of her neck, pulling her guitar from its case. While she was happy Usagi liked her song, it still wasn’t good enough. Not when it was still in the process of being written.

“I’d like to hear it.” Michiru added.

“Well,” Seiya sighed, slinging the strap of her guitar over her neck. “You're the boss, Miss Michiru. So I guess I gotta play it.” Usagi gave her a big grin and a pair of thumbs up from her seat, so Seiya shot her back a wink. 

It was game time. 

She strummed and plucked at a few of her strings, making sure her guitar was perfectly in tune. With one final breath, Seiya paused, brushing her fingers against the wood of her guitar. This was it. All of her emotion was going to go into this song. She was gonna put her whole soul into these next few minutes. Before she could let any last minute jitters take hold of her, she quickly began to play.

It felt weird, hearing her song being played outside. Usually, she only played it in her room. The sound was different out in the open. Not a bad different, just different. She didn’t let that odd feeling stop her though. Her fingers danced around the guitar, producing the fun, upbeat melody of her own creation. Seiya put her whole body into her performance, bobbing her head to the music (which made her hair flop all over the place), she tapped her foot to the beat, and her hips swayed in time. But her focus was down on the guitar, making sure she hit every note properly and at the right time.

By the last verse of the song, her forehead was covered in sweat and the sound of her own heartbeat blocked out the music. Her fingers continued their fast and purposeful strokes up until the last note. When she finally finished, she looked up and towards the crowd. 

Haruka looked like she hadn’t even been listening, looking off to the side, probably admiring her own car. Michiru had a polite smile on her face that was impossible to read. But Usagi. Oh the little Bunhead looked ecstatic. Quickly, Usagi stood, clapping her hands together.

“That was awesome!” Continuing her quick and loud claps, Usagi bounced on her heels. “Hearing it in person was great too! It made me feel so energized!” 

Seiya grinned, her chest rising and falling harshly with every breath. “I’m happy to hear that, Bunhead.” 

“Well put, Usagi. You should be a music critic! You summed up my thoughts quite nicely.” Michiru stood. “Seiya, that song was brimming with passionate, youthful energy. It was very invigorating.” Stepping around her violin case, Michiru walked to the front of the stage. “Which was exactly what I was looking for.” She held out her hand. “It’ll be a pleasure to work with you.” 

Seiya blinked.

Then she blinked again. 

“What, are you serious?” Seiya set her guitar down and rushed to the edge of the stage, squatting down so she was closer to Michiru. “I’ve got the spot?” 

“She can’t play with us, Michiru!” From behind Michiru, Haruka stood, looking appalled that she might have to play with Seiya.

“She can and she will.” Michiru hummed. “Her music has the kind of lively energy I’ve been searching for. It will accompany my new songs perfectly.” Pausing, Michiru tapped her chin. “We will need to fix a few things though. Like, you need to look at your audience during a performance, Seiya.”

“Oh, uh, sorry.” Seiya sheepishly responded. Standing up, Seiya felt empowered and excited all at once. She got the job! “You won’t regret this, Miss Michiru! I’m gonna be the best guitar player you’ll ever work with.” She flashed Michiru a peace sign, and the elegant violinist just giggled in response. 

“If you say so.”

Bouncing on her toes, Seiya went back to her guitar, quickly packing it up. She slung the case over her shoulder before rushing back over to the edge of the stage. With a little cheer, Seiya hopped down and off the stage. Quickly, she was over by Usagi’s side. The blonde was quick to wrap Seiya in a hug, squeezing all the remaining air out of the winded athlete. 

“Seiya! That was so cool!” Letting her guitar case drop to the ground, Seiya couldn’t help but hug Usagi back, smiling brightly like an idiot. Usagi’s hugs were just like her personality, big and loving. It made Seiya feel all warm and fuzzy inside. “You’re gonna be a famous rockstar or something one day!”

“Maybe I will.” Seiya responded. “And if I am, it’ll all be thanks to you for recommending me to Miss Michiru.”

Usagi pulled back, giving Seiya a self-satisfied smile. “Does that mean when you go big, you’ll remember to thank me properly? Like you’ll buy me tons of ice cream and manga?”

Seiya laughed. “If I become famous, I’ll buy you anything you want.” 

“Anything?” Usagi repeated in awe. 

Seiya nodded. “Anything.” 

Instantly, Usagi hung onto Seiya’s arm and started listing off all the things she wanted Seiya to buy her once she became rich and famous. A few of the highlights were: a sweets shop that was just for Usagi and her friends, unlimited credits at Crown’s Arcade, and every volume of all of her favorite manga series. Seiya tried to commit each one of these requests to her memories, hoping that one day she would be able to buy all of it for Usagi. 

“You shouldn’t rely on Kou to fulfill your dreams, Kitten.” Of course, Haruka Tenoh  _ had _ to butt in and ruin Seiya’s little moment with Usagi. “A girl like her doesn’t keep promises.” Seiya was ready to scream. She made  _ one  _ flirty remark to Haruka’s girlfriend - just one! - and here Haruka was, ready to destroy all of Seiya’s hopes and dreams. 

“That’s not true!’ Usagi responded quickly, a pout on her face. “Seiya’s been super nice and friendly to me! And she’s kept all her promises to me so far!” 

“Yeah, Tenoh.” Sending the older woman a glare, Seiya stepped forward, jutting her chin out. She was giving Haruka one of her most intimidating glares. “I always keep my promises. Especially for Bunhead.” 

“Yeah.” Agreeing, Usagi nodded her head quickly. “Seiya spent a whole 2000 yen on ice cream for me! Would someone who’s flaky on her promises do that?” Wow, Usagi really cares about food, huh? Getting that ice cream for her was like a one-way ticket into her heart for Seiya.

“Don’t mind Haruka, you two. She’s just all grumpy again.” Michiru stepped forward, defusing the situation as she set her hand on Haruka’s shoulder. “Let’s call it a day and head home.” 

“That sounds good.” Seiya let out a sigh, happy for a way out of this. Haruka and her would continue to clash, of course, but today she was too tired to continue on the battle. 

Tomorrow, though, Seiya was definitely gonna put Haruka in her place. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this chapter was gonna have more Seiya vs Haruka but I decided to save that for next chapter.  
> Next chapter will be half Seiya v Haruka and half Seiya and Usagi do cute stuff


	5. The Basketball Game and The Dilemma at Crown

“You’re plotting something.” 

Seiya looked up from her lunch, still chewing on a piece of chicken. In front of her, Taiki stood with her arms crossed, giving Seiya one of her usual ‘no-nonsense’ looks. A look that Taiki (falsely) believed made Seiya act properly. After swallowing the piece of chicken, Seiya rested her chin on her palm. 

“Me? Plot something? I would never.” She gave Taiki a purposely over-the-top, innocent smile. 

Taiki sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “We haven’t even been here a whole week. You can’t go around starting trouble.”

“I’m not the one that _started_ it.” Taiki gave Seiya a flat look, making Seiya snort. “Really, I didn’t. And anyways, don’t worry, I’m not planning on doing anything against school rules. I’m just gonna have a little... ‘friendly competition’ that’s all. Nothing bad.” 

“I doubt that.” Taiki crossed her arms. 

“Well, it’s the truth.” Seiya shrugged, shoving some more chicken into her mouth. 

“May I ask who it is you’ve started trouble with?” Ugh, why did Taiki always have to talk so fancy? It was kind of annoying, at least in Seiya’s not-so-humble opinion. 

“A second year, her name’s Tenoh.” Seiya swallowed her food, completely finishing her lunch. “She’s kinda a bitch.” 

“Picking a fight with a second year is not a good idea, Seiya.” If Seiya had actually been paying proper attention to Taiki, she might’ve heard the small trace of worry in her sister’s voice - but Seiya wasn’t a very good listener.

“Well, you always call me stupid, so, I guess this is on brand for me.” Seiya stood, folding her arms over her head. “Just, don’t worry about it.” Before Taiki could respond, Seiya made her way over to Makoto’s table, where Usagi, Ami, Makoto, and Minako were all having lunch. “Hey, Bunhead. Do you know what class Tenoh’s in? I wanna go talk to her.”

Usagi blinked up from the conversation she was having, lips and chin covered in bits of rice. “Oh, Haruka? I think she’s in 2-B.” Pausing, Usagi furrowed her brows. “Or 2-C - or 2-D.” She reached up and scratched her head, metaphorical steam flowing out of her ears. “Actually, I’m not sure!” Typical Bunhead. Cute yet stupid. Seiya wouldn’t have it any other way.

“She’s in 2-B!” Minako answered, turning from the table’s conversation to Seiya. “It’s right down the hall!”

“Oh! I was right the first time!” Usagi cheered. “I think I deserve a treat! For being so smart!” Without trying to be subtle, Usagi reached over with her chopsticks to grab a sweet out of Minako’s lunch. Minako’s chopsticks quickly smacked against her hand. “Ow! Mina!” Usagi whined, dragging out Minako’s name a few more syllables than necessary. The two quickly fell into a friendly argument, leaving Seiya to just laugh at the scene before heading towards the classroom door. 

It was time to find Haruka. 

The hallways were busy, it was lunchtime afterall. Seiya pushed through the crowds, eyes locked on the sign that read “2-B” near the end of the hallway. Hopefully Haruka was the type to stay in her classroom during lunch. Although, if Seiya had a girlfriend (especially one as hot as Michiru), she wouldn’t stay in her classroom during lunch. They’d definitely be off somewhere private, so they could sneak in kisses between bites of food. Haruka might do the same. 

Luckily for Seiya, Haruka was in her classroom during lunch. She sat at a desk, with Michiru sitting in front of her. It seemed as though they had both finished their lunches and now they were chatting happily with each other. 

Seiya opened the door, pulling Haruka’s attention towards it. The instant she spotted Seiya, Haruka threw her a nasty galre. Typical Haruka. How predictable. Seiya smirked, walking over to the desk, Haruka’s eyes following her the entire way over. Michiru turned her head as well, raising a brow when she spotted Seiya.

“Hey you two, sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation.” Putting her hand on their desk, Seiya leaned forward. 

“What do you want?” Haruka grumbled, straightening her back to make herself bigger and taller. 

“I just wanted to know if you’d be interested in playing me in a game of basketball.” Seiya hummed, locking eyes with Haruka. “After school today, in the gym.”

“Sure. I’ll be there.” Haruka responded with narrowed eyes. When Seiya wasn’t immediately scurrying away after (what Seiya assumed) was Haruka’s most menacing glance, Haruka puffed out her chest, intensifying the already harsh glare. “Could you leave? We were in the middle of something.” 

“Alright, alright.” Raising her hands up in mock surrender, Seiya backed up. “I’m going. No need to be so hostile.” She made sure to give Haruka a final smug grin before turning on heel and heading back out the door.

The stage was now set for Seiya to absolutely whoop Haruka’s ass in basketball. Now all she had to do was wait until the end of the day. 

* * *

Class couldn’t have gone by faster. When the final bell for the day rang, Seiya couldn’t believe it was already over. Though, it’s not like she had actually been paying attention in class. Not at all. Since lunch, Seiya’s been plotting out her basketball strategies, deciding which plays and moves she should use to destroy Haruka. She had a pretty good list of moves to choose from, so she felt happy with that. One thing was clear to her though, after all her brainstorming, Seiya had to make Haruka fall on her ass at least once.

Seiya stood from her seat, stretching her arms above her head. She’d have to hurry and get to the gym. The boy’s basketball team started practice in a half an hour, so they had to wrap their game up before then. 

“Hey Seiya, did you wanna go to Crown with me?” Blinking, Seiya looked down at Usagi, who had turned around in her seat to look up at Seiya. 

“After I beat Haruka’s ass in basketball, sure.” Seiya nodded. “If you’re willing to wait that long.” 

Usagi blinked, tilting her head. “You’re playing Haruka in basketball?”

“Yeah.” Seiya nodded. “Just for a bit. Max thirty minutes, but, I’ll probably beat her in less.” She couldn’t help but add that last part, grinning to herself. 

“I dunno….Haruka’s really athletic.”

Seiya scrunched her nose. “ _I’m_ really athletic.” An idea popped into her head. Why not beat her rival in front of her love interest? That would be a win-win! “Why don’t you come watch? I’ll show you how athletic I am.” 

“Weeellll,” Usagi tapped her chin. “I guess I don’t have anything better to do.” She stood, grabbing her bag. “So sure!” 

“Great!” Grinning, Seiya picked up her own bag, slinging it over her shoulder. “Let’s get going, then.” They walked down to the gym in a comfortable silence, Usagi swinging her arms back and forth while she walked. Seiya kept up her super-cool-super-calm persona and grin. If she wanted to impress Usagi she’d have to make this look effortless. She was gonna have to make this look so cool. But if anyone could make basketball look cool to someone who wasn’t into sports, it was Seiya-motherfucking-Kou. 

They walked into the gym and Haruka was already there, leaning against the hall with her arms crossed. In the stands, Michiru sat giving Seiya and Usagi a wave when she saw them come in. Haruka didn’t give them such a warm welcome, just slowly letting her eyes trail over to Seiya, frowning the whole time. 

“You ready to play?” She asked. 

“Yeah, of course.” Seiya nodded before turning to Usagi. “Hey, bunhead. Could you hold my bag for me?”

“Oh, sure!” Usagi nodded, taking Seiya’s bag. “Good luck! You too, Haruka!” Usagi walked over to the benches, sitting next to Michiru. Seiya, now free of her bag, walked over to the basketball rack, picking a ball off it. 

“So, Tenoh. I was thinking we’d play street rules. You know, half court and all that. And the first person to get 5 points wins?” Her tone was conversational as she tossed the ball in the air and bounced it on the ground, making sure it was properly inflated. 

“Fine with me.” Haruka responded, moving off the wall to stand on the court. “Who goes first?” Still playing with the ball, Seiya walked over, standing in front of the taller girl. Height wise, Haruka had the advantage for basketball. But Seiya has played basketball a ton. There was no way Haruka could out-skill her. 

“You can.” Seiya bounced Haruka the ball, getting into a defensive position. 

Haruka dribbled the ball a few times. “You ready?”

“Sure.” Seiya turned her head, shouting towards the stands. “Hey Bunhead! Give us a countdown from 5!” Usagi jolted out of the idle daydream she’d been having. 

“Oh um, okay!” Usagi yelled back. “So… 5!” This was it, all Seiya had been waiting for. She was going to show Haruka that she wasn’t some pushover. “4!” This would also help establish her as the alpha butch lesbian at Juuban, a tilte that was very important to her. “3!” And, with Usagi here, winning had the added bonus of impressing Usagi. “2!” There was no way she was going to mess this up. “1!”

Haruka moved quickly to the left. Very quickly. As in, so quickly that Seiya could barely react, quickly. Eyes wide with horror, Seiya turned around just in time to see Haruka perform an effortless layup. 

“You’re fast.” Was the only statement her dumbass mouth could make. 

Haruka grinned. “Yeah, I am.” She grabbed the ball once it bounced off the floor. “1 to nothing. Haruka.” Holding the ball in between her arm and side, Haruka started to walk back up to the top of the court. 

Seiya felt overwhelmed with frustration, smacking her palms against her cheeks. She had to focus! Now was not the time to be thinking about impressing girls or being cool! Seiya knew better to be distracted in game, but she still did it, and now look at her! Haurka was able to drive right by her without a hitch! She had to pull herself together. No thinking of girls. No thinking of acting cool. The only thing she could allow herself to think about was the game. 

Getting back into her defensive stance, Seiya focused on Haruka. Haruka stood at the top of the court, bouncing the ball. 

“You ready?”

“Yeah.” 

Haruka took off in a flash, moving quickly towards Seiya’s left again. This time, Seiya was quick enough to step left as well, reaching her arms out to try and tip the ball. In response, Haruka planted a foot, intending on spinning quickly to change direction to the right. Seiya lunged right with her, reaching her hand out and managing to knock the ball with her fingers, sending it out of Haruka’s control. While Haruka’s momentum kept her going towards the net, Seiya was free to rush after the ball. 

“My ball.” Seiya announced once she had dribbled the ball back up to the top of the court. 

“Yeah, I know.” Haruka huffed in annoyance, turning around and getting into position. 

“1 to nothing. Haruka.” Seiya announced before starting her turn. She made a mad dash to Haruka’s left side, and predictably Haruka followed, sidestepping to keep Seiya from rushing the net. Not worried about getting in close, Seiya let Haruka follow her all the way to the bottom of the court, where she quickly stepped back and jumped before making her shot. Haruka reached up to block, but it was ineffective. The ball went right over her hand and whooshed into the net. Seiya couldn’t help but grin. “1 all.”

The next six points followed in that back and forth motion. One of the girls would score before getting the ball stolen from them, where the other girl would score a point right back. It was a tight game, with both girls working their hardest to keep their lead. 

“4 all.” Haruka announced from the top of the court, ball in her hands. She was all sweaty, her hair sticking to her forehead and to the back of her neck. Seiya was in a similar condition, drenched in sweat from where she stood farther down the court. 

“Before you start.” Seiya huffed, reaching up and tugging on her tie. Haruka and her had been playing while in their school uniforms, dress shirts and all, and it was very restricting - and uncomfortable. Especially when you were sweaty. “Let me take this off.” 

Haruka blinked before setting the ball down. “Good idea.” Both girls started to yank off their ties and undo their dress shirts, stripping down until they were left in their tank tops. From where she was sitting in the stands, Usagi noticed Michiru suddenly sit up and take an interest in the basketball game. And it was totally the basketball game Michiru was interested in and not Haruka’s bare shoulders. Not at all. 

Tossing her tie and shirt to the side, Seiya got back in position. “Alright, let’s end this Tenoh.” She actually felt a bit bad for underestimating Haruka so much before. The older girl was putting up one hell of a fight. Seiya really respected that. 

“Don’t worry, this will be the last point.” Haruka shot back, grinning. 

“Yeah right, as if I’d let you score.” Seiya retorted, grinning back. “I’m ready.” Haruka took a step forward, ready to take off like a bullet, as usual, when the doors to the gym opened. 

“Hey! You guys need to leave! We need to practice!” 

Stopping mid dribble, Haruka looked up, disappointment clear on her face. “We were in the middle of something.” Seiya frowned, putting her hands on her hips and looking over to the group of boys behind her. 

“And we have practice. Move it.”

Fucking boys.

“Fine, fine. Whatever.” Seiya growled, marching off the court and towards the stands, picking up her dress shirt and tie on the way. Haruka followed suit, after chucking the ball at the team. “Good game, Tenoh. I actually had a lot of fun.”

“I did too, actually.” Haruka grumbled. After a pause, Haruka continued. “You know, you might not be as shitty as I originally thought.”

Seiya snorted. “Wow, what glowing praise.” Haruka shot her a glare and Seiya put up her hands in mock surrender. “Easy there. I’m just playing.” Shoving her hands in her pockets, Seiya scuffed the wood. “You were actually pretty alright out there. Maybe you aren’t the big bitch I thought you were.” That earned Seiya a snort. 

“Hey guys! Great game!” Usagi interrupted the two of them, bouncing down the stairs. “Just watching you two made me hungry!” She turned on Seiya, eyes glowing. “So, you ready to go to Crown with me?” Now that Usagi mentioned it, Seiya _was_ starving.

“Yeah.” Seiya nodded before turning to Haruka, who had now been joined by Michiru. “See you around.” Surprisingly, Haruka didn’t send a death glare her way and instead gave her a small nod and a wave.

“Have fun at Crown!” Michiru smiled and waved as Usagi and Seiya made their way out the door. 

* * *

“So wait, you’re telling me that Minako went out on dates with two guys at once?” Seiya asked in disbelief in between huge mouthfuls of fries. 

Usagi nodded as she swallowed a big gulp of ice cream. “Yeah! And when I say at once, I mean at the same time! Like the dates were happening at the same time!” Seiya let out a half scandalized half-impressed gasp. This Minako girl was absolutely wild, at least from the stories Usagi was telling. She’d probably be fun to party with.

“How did she manage that?” Another fistful of fries entered her mouth. Crown’s fries were the best fucking fries Seiya had ever had.

“Basically, she kept telling each guy she had to pee or something and then would run back to the other guy!” Usagi explained, wildly flapping her hands to demonstrate how fast Minako would run from date to date. “She had them going for hours!”

“Did they find out?” 

Usagi nodded. “Yeah! But afterwards. It turns out they were actually friends, and when they both talked that night they realized they had been with the same girl. Isn’t that wild?” 

“Yeah.” Seiya nodded before taking a sip of her cola. “Wish I had been there to see it.” 

“Oh, knowing Minako she’ll do something like that again soon.” Usagi hummed. “And since you’re our friend now, you’ll get to see it.” 

“I guess so, huh.” Seiya couldn’t help but smile. The table fell into silence as Seiya sipped on her drink and Usagi finished off her ice cream sundae. The waitress came over, setting down the check. Seiya quickly picked it up. “Surprise, surprise. Bunhead’s the expensive date today. Again.” 

Usagi stuck her tongue out, ice cream still on it. “So what? You love me, so you’ll cover me no matter how much I order.” Seiya paused. Now, these words probably would have made her blush, if those words hadn’t been implying that Seiya would be paying for Usagi today. 

“Bunhead, I don’t have enough money to pay for you today.” 

From across the table, Usagi visibly paled. “You don’t?”

“I only have a thousand yen right now, that’s not enough to cover my meal and your meal.” Seiya could feel sweat build on her neck. “You can’t just assume I’ll pay for you without asking! Like, I’ll probably only say no if I don’t have enough money, but, you still gotta ask!”

“I’m, uh, sorry. I just assumed you’d pay for me….” Usagi opened her backpack, frowning as she pulled out her pink wallet. “I only have two hundred yen in here…” 

Sweat dribbled down from Seiya’s forehead. “We’re still five hundred yen short…you come here a lot, right? Maybe they can put it on your tab?”

Usagi shook her head. “No… I’ve tried that. They won’t let me.”

Seiya groaned, dramatically resting her head on the table. “We’re so screwed. They’re gonna make us wash dishes or something for an hour to make up for the money.” 

“Not the dishes!” Usagi sounded actually terrified at the thought of doing the dishes. Like, bone-chilling, serial-killer-is-chasing you, terrified. With a sigh, Seiya looked up from the table, propping her chin against the laminate, to stare at Usagi. The sweet, innocent, greedy little girl who assumed Seiya would pay for her in all things. Seiya still loved her though. But, Usagi could be a little shit sometimes.

But that was a good thing, in all honesty. Perfect people are boring. 

Usagi paused from her wailing when the diner’s doors opened with a chime. “Oh! Ami! Perfect timing!” The blonde stood up, waving her arm wildly to signal her friend over. Seiya turned her head around, looking towards the door. 

By the doorway was Ami and Taiki, both of whom were looking over at Seiya and Usagi’s table with a little disdain. Ami walked over, Taiki reluctantly following behind her. 

“Usagi, you can’t yell in a restaurant like that.” Ami scolded Usagi in a hushed voice, trying not to draw anymore attention to the table. 

Jutting out her upper lip, Usagi pouted. “Sorry, sorry. We just really needed your help!”

“I can’t help you with homework right now, Usagi.” Ami sighed. “Taiki and I were going to sit together and talk about things. I can’t be distracted.” Seiya raised a brow, but stayed silent. Ami reaaaaally wanted to be alone with Taiki, huh? Seiya had to admit it, Taiki did have some good game when she wanted to. 

“I don’t need help with homework.” Usagi said. “I need some money!” She said it with such an innocent smile, it almost made Seiya forget that Usagi had put them in this situation. Almost.

“Money?” Ami tilted her head. 

“Oh well, I assumed Seiya would pay for my food, but they don’t have enough money!” Usagi let out a nervous laugh. “So we’re kinda 500 yen short for our bill.” 

Ami looked affronted. “Usagi! You can’t just assume people will pay for you!” Pulling out her wallet, Ami handed Seiya a five hundred yen bill. “Here. I’m sorry about Usagi, she can be a bit selfish at times, but she’s a good person.”

Usagi frowned, crossing her arms. “I’m right here ya know.” Ami ignored her.

“That’s what makes Bunhead fun though, yeah?” Seiya joked, trying to lighten the mood. “She wouldn’t be fun to be around if she were all goody-two-shoes all the time.”

Ami detnesed. “I guess so…” With a sigh, Ami put her wallet away. “You better pay me back tomorrow, Usagi.”

“I will, I will.” Usagi grumbled, still crossing her arms and pouting. 

“Anyways, you two have fun on your little date.” With that statement and a simple wink, Seiya had both Ami and Taiki blushing furiously. 

“I-It’s n-not-.” Ami began stuttering, pushing her fingers together nervously. Taiki quickly reached up and gently took Ami by the shoulder. Wow, shoulder contact on the first date? Taiki was really being bold this time. 

“Don’t tease people like that, it’s rude.” Taiki snapped at Seiya, before guiding Ami towards a booth. Seiya let out a snicker before turning back towards Usagi, just to find the blonde’s face inches from her own. 

“Taiki’s interested in Ami?” Usagi’s bad mood was completely forgotten, now replaced with a happy gleam. “Ooooh they’d be so cute together! We should play cupid to make sure they date! They’d be two little nerd-lovebirds!” 

“Yeah they would be.” Seiya agreed as Usagi sat back down properly in her seat. “But we got lucky this time, with Ami giving us the money. You owe me for this. You gave me a near heart attack when you said you were expecting me to pay.”

Usagi just waved her off. “Don’t worry, I’ll find some way to make it up to you. It’ll be really fun, I promise.”

Seiya couldn’t help but grin. “Oh really? I’ll have to be the judge of that.” 

Though, Seiya was pretty sure she’d enjoy anything Bunhead did for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I've been working on a few other fics and got busy. And I'm honesty not too pleased with this chapter, but I wanted to get it out there. I'll will probably have to edit it later.


	6. Seiya and Usagi Get Banned from a Grocery Store

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically the essence of this fic: I want Seiya and Usagi to be dumbass teenagers who do dumbass teenager shit.

Life had gotten very busy for Seiya. Her weekend was full of homework, chores, exercise, and rehearsal. Michiru had worked her like a damn dog when they practiced, chastising her to keep her back straight and her chin up as she learned the songs she’d be expected to perform alongside Michiru and Haruka. 

The school week wasn’t much better either. After school she was expected to practice with Haruka and Michiru in the music room. They played the songs again and again until Seiya was sure her fingers would fall off. School had started to pick up, so Seiya was slammed with homework every night. Taiki refused to help her, so Seiya was stuck doing all the worksheets herself until nearly 10 at night, everynight. And then she’d have to go right to bed after finishing her homework, or else she wouldn’t be able to wake up at 5 in the morning to go on her jog.

Seiya had never felt so tired in her life. 

On the other hand, Taiki was busy in a good way. It was so fucking unfair. Nearly every night that week, Taiki had hogged the phone. She’d be talking with Ami - or Makoto, surprisingly - for the entire night. Taiki would be sprawled out on the sofa with the phone tucked to her ear, chatting away, as she wrote her cheesy-ass poetry. And the kicker was, Taiki got to go out and have fun this weekend while Seiya had to go out to run errands. 

Life was so unfair. 

“Make sure you don’t buy any rotten vegetables like last time.” Taiki instructed while she brushed her hair. Seiya grunted from where she sat up on her top bunk of the bed, sliding into a pair of jeans. 

“Yeah yeah. I won’t.” 

“And make sure you don’t buy meat that’s about to expire.” Staring at herself in the mirror, Taiki adjusted her hair and shirt, twisting and turning to get the right angle. 

“I’m not a dumbass, I know how to buy groceries.” Seiya hopped down from her bunk, stalking over to their dresser to grab a shirt. “So which of your little girlfriends are you hanging out with today? Ami or Makoto?” 

Taiki spluttered, quickly turning around. “First, they’re not my  _ little girlfriends _ .”

“Sure they aren’t.” Seiya rolled her eyes, grinning. 

“Second, we’re all hanging out today. Together.” 

Seiya raised a brow and whistled, turning to look at Taiki. “Wow. Aren’t you bold. Taking both your girlfriends out at the same time. Won’t they get jealous?” 

“They’re not my girlfriends!” Taiki was entirely red. “While I admit, both Ami and Makoto are very pretty, and kind, and sweet, and-.” Taiki paused in her rant, stopping herself from going off on a tangent on how great Ami and Makoto both were. Struggling to hold in a laugh, Seiya covered her mouth with her hand. “A-anyways. We’re all just friends. Very good friends.”

“Riiight.” Seiya snickered, turning back to the drawer to throw a shirt on. “Where are you three even going, anyways?”

Taiki instantly calmed down from her enraged state. “Oh, we’re going to a lovely little observatory and watching their program about their latest discoveries. After that we’re going to a bakery Makoto’s interested in. And then we’re going to an amusement park.” The usually stoic brown haired girl seemed positively bubbly at reciting her itinerary for the day. 

On one hand, Seiya absolutely wanted to tease her sister for gushing so much about her day. On the other hand, Seiya was so fucking bitter that Taiki was going out and having a good time while Seiya had to go buy fucking groceries. 

“Oh well, have fun nerd.” Was what Seiya ended up responding with. 

“I will.” Taiki huffed, grabbing her bag off the desk chair and marching out of their shared room. With a sigh, Seiya pushed her hair back. Sisters could be so annoying sometimes. 

Once Seiya was properly dressed, and sure Taiki had left the house, she made her way down the stairs, ducking into the kitchen to grab the grocery list her mom left there this morning. It was a pretty standard list: rice, milk, eggs, flour, chicken, beef. You know, the good stuff. The basics. All the boring stuff. 

Shoving the list in her pocket, Seiya made her way out the door. The warm Autumn sun beat down on Seiya as she walked down the street towards the supermarket. People walked by Seiya, rushing off to go to their fun weekend activities. None of them were stuck doing lame errands. Soon enough, Seiya had made her way out of the suburbs and entered the shopping center district. The grocery store came into view. Along with someone unexpected. 

“Yo, Bunhead!” Seiya broke out into a jog when she spotted Usagi walking down from the opposite side of the street. The blonde was in some casual wear, in jeans and a pink t-shirt, and was in the middle of glaring down at a piece of paper. Her head perked up when she heard Seiya though, wildly waving at Seiya. 

“Heya Seiya!” Usagi smiled when Seiya finally caught up to her. “Whatcha you doing today?”

Seiya shrugged, tugging the grocery list out of her pocket. “Errands.”

“Oh, me too!” Nodding rapidly, Usagi responded with a grin. “Maybe we can do them together?” Her voice got hopeful at the end, tilting her head as she asked the question. Seiya grinned in return. 

“Sounds fun.” Seiya nodded. “I’m in.” Gesturing to the door, Seiya gave a mock bow. “After you, gorgeous.” 

Usagi smiled giddily and blushed. “Hehe. I am gorgeous, aren’t I?” Brushing past Seiya, Usagi stepped into the store and grabbed a hand basket. Seiya followed behind her, grabbing a hand basket of her own. “So, what do you need to grab, Seiya?”

“The basics. Y’known, milk, meat, and all that.” Seiya shrugged. “What about you?” 

“My mom wants to make pie tonight, so I’m supposed to pick up stuff for crust and filling.” Looking down at her list, Usagi scrunched her brow. “But I don’t know what half this stuff is.” Seiya leaned over her shoulder, looking at the list. 

“Looks like your mom needs some fancy baking stuff.” Seiya gave Usagi a thumbs up. “But don’t worry, I’ll help you find everything.”

“Yay!” 

The two started going through the shelves together, combing through the items to make sure they got the proper stuff on their lists. Their baskets started to get weighed down as they completed going through each aisle. It was going pleasantly. Far too pleasantly. Boarding on the verge of boredom. 

“Seiiiiyyyaaa.” Usagi was hunched over, her shopping basket weighing her down. “Can you carry this? It’s so heaaavyyyyyyy.” Whining, Usagi leaned on Seiya, trying to get the taller girl’s attention. 

Scoffing, Seiya turned her back to Usagi, glancing at a shelf. “No way. Carry your own basket.”

“But Seiiiiiiiiyyyyyyyyaaaaaa.” Somehow, Usagi managed to draw the syaballes in Seiya’s name to a ludicrous degree. Seiya continued to ignore her, glad that her mischievous grin was hidden from Usagi. “Please?” Usagi stepped forward, placing her chin on Seiya’s shoulder. From the corner of her eye, Seiya could see Usagi flashing her the biggest set of puppy-dog eyes she’s ever seen. Before she could control herself, Seiya’s face flushed a bright red and she turned her face away. 

“Fine fine, whatever. You whiny little brat.” 

“I’m not a brat.” Usagi declared, like a brat, setting her shopping basket on the floor by Seiya’s feet and backing away. “But thanks!” 

Grumbling, Seiya turned away from the aisle and picked up Usagi’s basket. It was heavy, for sure. The fact that Usagi held it up for so long was actually impressive, considering how lazy the girl was. Now free from her burden, Usagi skipped happily down the aisle. 

“Let’s head to the candy aisle, Seiya! I deserve a treat - for doing all this hard work.” Usagi nodded to herself, confirming her own ideas. Knowing that arguing with Usagi was a fruitless task, Seiya just sighed and followed along. 

“Alright, your majesty.” 

Usagi didn’t bother to bite back, instead happily marching towards the candy aisle. They finally reached the aisle and Usagi sprinted to the rows of candy, eyes glowing as she examined her choices. Seiya followed behind nonchalantly. 

“Ooooh this one looks good!” Usagi narrated her thought process as she grabbed at bars of candy. “I’ve never tried this one! That one has a funny name! Oh, i should get two of these, they’re always good!”

Seiya chuckled behind her. “Do you even have enough money for all these?” In front of her, Usagi froze and deflated. She slumped forward against the shelf.

“No…” Usagi pouted, continuing to hug all the candy to her chest. Slowly, Usagi turned her head to Seiya. “Would you…?”

“No.” Seiya deadpanned. “I don’t have enough money for all that either.” 

Usagi jutted her lip out, looking down at her armful of candy. “I’m sorry, it seems like I can’t eat you all today.” God, Bun head was so cute. Oh so silly and cute. 

“Don’t be so dramatic, Bun head.” Seiya commented. “Isn’t your ma making you some sweets tonight anyways?”

“Yeah but that’s no candy.” 

Seiya let out an amused sigh and shook her head. Bun head was always so dramatic when it came to food. Setting down the shopping baskets, Seiya looked at the other items in the aisle. The candy aisle also has various kids toys, like some bouncy balls. Causally walking over to the bin that held an assortment of play balls, Seiya reached in and grabbed a foam American football. It was time to get Usagi’s head away from candy. Seiya lightly threw the ball, hitting Usagi square in the face. 

“Hey!” Usagi dropped the candy, glaring at Seiya. “What was that for?” 

Seiya shrugged. “You were acting like a brat again.” Face flushed red, Usagi reached down and picked up the foam ball, chucking it at Seiya as hard as she could - which wasn’t hard at all. 

“I’m not a brat!” Seiya easily caught the ball. “You were supposed to get hit by that.” Usagi commented, making Seiya bust out laughing. “Stop laughing at me!” Grinning, Seiya put the foam American football back in the bin and pulled out a rubber dodgeball. She tossed it to Usagi, who caught it and looked at her in confusion.

“I figured if you had a bigger ball, you could actually hit me this time.” Predictably, Usagi gritted her teeth, rising to the challenge. God, Bun head was so fun. She was so easy to rile up. Seiya would never get bored with Bun head by her side. “Give it your best shot, brat.”

“I’m not a brat!” Usagi hollered before launching the ball at Seiya. Seiya’s eyes widened, not expecting the hard throw, but she was able to quickly duck out of the way. Unluckily, the ball hit the shelf behind her, knocking down the merchandise. It all clattered to the floor, making a loud crashing noise that resonated all throughout the grocery store. Usagi and Seiya froze, unable to move. Maybe, if they didn’t move, nobody would come look at them.

That wish was not granted. 

An older woman in the store's uniform rounded the corner. “What is going on here?” She barked out, glaring at Usagi and Seiya with a look that could kill. Neither of the teens spoke up. “Well? Do you two have anything to say for yourself?”

Usagi shrugged softly. “Sorry…?”

The woman scoffed. “Pick all that up, right now.” Her voice was commanding and it left no room for arguments. Seiya turned around and slowly started to stack the knocked off merchandise back on the shelves. Usagi started to pick up the candy she dropped on the floor, solemnly putting them back on a shelf. The older woman stood there and watched them, tapping her foot angrily. Once they were done, she barked out a new order. “Pick up those baskets and come with me. Now.” 

Usagi and Seiya exchanged a look. Their look communicated all their fears and their silent agreement to just follow the lady. They picked up their baskets, Usagi straining under the weight of her basket, and followed the woman to the front of the store. The mean old lady brought them to a checkout line. Usagi and Seiya shared a confused look. 

“Come on, give me your items, right now.” The woman snapped, making Usagi jolt and started putting her items on the conveyor belt. In a tense silence, Usagi and Seiya watched as the old lady rang up all of Usagi’s items. “Payment!” Usagi scrambled and pulled out the cash her mother gave her, shoving it in the woman’s hand. “You next.” Seiya was quick to listen, pilling her items up. Again, they stood in silence as the woman bagged all of Seiya’s items and then held out her hand for Seiya’s money. Seiya quickly shoved the money into the woman’s hands. Finally, the woman stood. “Come with me.” With their bags, Seiya and Usagi followed. 

They walked towards the employee area, where a phone hung on the wall. Both girls realized what was about to happen and swallowed in terror. The woman grabbed the phone and turned to face them. Usagi flinched, making the woman laser in on her. 

“What’s your name, girl?”

“U-Usagi Tsukino…”

“Well, little miss Tsukino.” The woman shoved the phone into her hand. “Call your mother, right now.” Seiya watched as Usagi punched in her mother’s phone number with the seriousness of a man on death row. The woman snatched the phone back as soon as Usagi finished, pressing it to her face. “Ah, yes, Ms. Tsukino? Hello. I would like to tell you about your daughter’s actions in my store today…” Seiya gently reached out and rubbed a grieving Usagi’s back. Usagi was mumbling about how her mother would kill her when she got home - and how she wouldn’t get any sweets for a week. The old lady seemed to be in a much better mood once she was done ratting Usagi out to her mother. Finally finished with Usagi’s mom, the lady turned to Seiya. 

“What’s your name, girl?”

“Seiya Kou.” She sighed out.

“Well.” The old lady thrusted the phone in her hand. “You know what to do.” Seiya dialed up her house number and handed the phone back to the old lady. She could only hope that mom hadn’t come home yet. Or, if mom had come home already, that Yaten would answer first and cover for her. That was the only way Seiya wasn’t going to get grounded for the rest of her life. 

Finally, the phone picked up. 

“Hello? Is this Ms. Kou? Mother of Seiya Kou?” The old lady asked. “Oh, you’re her sister? Is your mother home?” Seiya felt hope spark in her chest. Yaten wasn’t cruel enough to not cover for Seiya, right? Seiya’s hope was shattered as the woman’s face became aghast. “That is no way to speak to your elders, young lady! Watch your tone!” Oh fuck. It looked like Yaten was getting the Kou family in even  _ more  _ trouble. “Put your mother on the phone right now!” A loud noise came from the receiver. “Oh, hello, is this Ms Kou? Ah yes, hello. I have some news about your daughters. It seems you have a few troublemakers in your house.” 

Seiya was so fucked.

So fucked. 

The old lady took her time explaining everything to Kakyuu. Seiya could practically feel her mother’s anger radiating through the phone. The old lady looked delighted as she hung up the phone, turning to face the girls with a sadistic grin. 

“Never come back to my store.” With that statement and a wave of the hand, the old lady directed Seiya and Usagi to the door. The two girls slowly walked to the door with their bags, heads down. What a crummy way to end their day. Once they were outside the store, Seiya and Usagi exchanged a look. 

“Well, I’ll see you at school, if I’m not dead.” Seiya half-heartedly joked. 

Usagi looked on the verge of tears. “Same.” 

Seiya reached out and gave Usagi a reassuring pact before they parted ways. Her walk home was uneventful, Seiya was busy dwelling in her own impending doom. Once she finally reached her house, Seiya paused outside, debating on whether to actually enter. Though, she figured, if she prolongs this, Kakyuu will just be more mad at her. With a sigh, Seiya walked into the house. 

“Well, Seiya, let’s talk about your behavior at the grocery store, shall we?” 

Seiya was barely one foot in the door before Kakyuu was upon her. Kakyuu stood in the entryway, looking as mad as a mother could be, a wooden spoon in her hand. Shifting awkwardly, Seiya let the door close behind her. 

“I’m sorry?”

That wasn’t the right response. 

* * *

Taiki had never had so much fun in her life! Spending her day with Ami and Makoto was absolutely amazing. The places they visited were great, sure, but the real fun was the girls she visited them with. Makoto was so warm and kind. The way she gushed over food and flowers as adorable, and the way she hugged Taiki made her feel all warm and secure. And then Ami. Ami was so kind and so smart. Taiki could talk to Ami about topics she’d never spoken to anyone about before. It felt like Ami just understood Taiki on a fundamental level. It made her feel all warm and giddy inside. 

Oh god, she was sounding like Seiya. 

Shaking her head, Taiki pulled her thoughts together. If she showed any weakness around Seiya or Yaten, they’d be on her like white on rice. Seiya was already teasing her enough about Makoto and Ami, if she came home all heart-eyed, Seiya wouldn’t let her forget it for years. Taiki approached the door, opening it casually. 

“I’m home!” No voices responded to her. Confused, Taiki rose a brow and closed the door, sliding her shoes off. She slowly walked in the house, looking around. “Anyone home?” 

“In here, Taiki.” Her mother’s voice was cold and low, making Taiki’s hair stand on end. She sounded mad. Really mad. Hesitantly, Taiki walked into the living room.

Kakyuu was standing, facing Taiki with a mean glare. Behind her, Seiya and Yaten were kneeling on the ground, frightened looks on their faces, small little bumps on their heads. Taiki’s attention was snapped back to her mother when Kakyuu cleared her throat. 

“I find it interesting that you decided to lie to Seiya to make her do  _ your _ chores while you went out with friends.” Taiki froze, unable to respond, horrified she’d been caught. How did mom even find out? What did Seiya and Yaten even do to make Kakyuu this mad? What happened while she was out? “Go kneel next to your sisters and reflect on your actions.” Taiki quickly trotted over to her sisters, kneeling next to Seiya. Kakyuu turned to look at them, shaking her head. “You all need to be better. You’re making our family name a laughing stock! Thanks to you two-” Kakyuu pointed to Yaten and Seiya “-I’ll never be able to go back to that grocery store! And you-” Kakyuu pointed at Taiki “-you’re the eldest! You’re supposed to be responsible! I had higher hopes for you, Taiki.” With an exasperated sigh, Kakyuu turned around. “None of you move from those spots. Keep your back straight. No talking.” Kakyuu stormed out of the room and up the stairs, probably to her room to decompress from her stressful day. 

Taiki felt so overwhelmed. One moment, she had been in post not-a-date bliss, and now, she was stuck kneeling on the floor. 

“What did you two do?” Taiki whispered.

“Got banned from the grocery store.” Seiya whispered back. 

“Called the grocery store owned an ugly ass hag on the phone.” Yaten whispered back. Taiki felt a lot of emotions. She wanted to say a lot of things. But the only words she could form was:

“Seiya, only your dumbass could mess up grocery shopping this bad.”


	7. Questionable Decisions and The Concert

“Seiya...are you okay?” Usagi tentatively asked. 

“No.”

The past two weeks had been a living hell. Not only was Kakyuu still mad about the whole grocery store incident, but Michiru had picked up the pace on practice for the show this weekend. 

The Kou household had been run like a damn military academy since the incident. Seiya, Yaten, and Taiki were expected to come home, do their chores, do their homework, and then go be silent in their room. Kakyuu announced last night that this punishment would end on Friday, since their good behavior had finally convinced her they had learnt their lesson. Seiya could barely wait until tomorrow afternoon, when she’d finally be able to watch TV and not spend her whole night working.

Practices with Michiru were brutal, as always. Michiru ran a tight ship. Perfect posture. Proper manners. Unending repetition of songs. Seiya would leave practices with her back aching and her fingers aching. Luckily, though, Michiru had given all of them the next two days off, since they needed to recover before the show this weekend. And Seiya needed this break, she felt like her entire body had been sapped of all its energy.

From where Usagi stood in front of Seiya, she frowned. She didn’t like seeing her energetic, kind, hot - wait what the hell was Usagi thinking, hot? Seiya? Pfffft, no way - trouble making friend so exhausted. 

“Oh,” Usagi deadpanned. “That sucks.” Seiya must’ve been really down. The second the lunch period started, Usagi heard a thump behind her, and when she turned, Seiya had her head on her desk. That’s how they got to this conversation. “Hey, my mom packed me some sweets for lunch today. Wanna share?”

Seiya turned her head up to look at Usagi, eyes wide in surprise . “Did you just offer to share sweets? Are you okay?” Reaching out, Seiya pressed the back of her hand to Usagi’s forehead. “Are you sick?” 

“Stop that!” Usagi snapped, grabbing her lunch bag. “I’m trying to be nice!” She set her lunch on Seiya’s desk before turning her chair all the way around to properly face the girl. 

“Sorry, sorry.” Seiya smiled a bit as she apologized, lifting her head off the table and straightening out. “But yeah, I’d love some sweets, Bunhead. Thanks.” Seiya pulled her own lunch out and set it on her table while Usagi opened hers. Usagi’s mom did not play around with making lunch. It looked so good! The chicken looked warm and delicious, the rice looked fluffy and filling, and the sweets looked like they would give Seiya a few cavities. “Wow, your mom makes good food.”

“Yeah she does, doesn’t she?” Smiling, Usagi took a bite of her lunch. While Usagi was busy munching on her food, Seiya quickly reached out and stole a piece of chicken. “Hey! That was mine!”

Seiya just grinned while chewing. “I thought we were sharing?” For a moment, Usagi’s face got bright red as she pouted. Her bottom lip jutted out in a childish manner. But then, she took a deep breath and let herself calm down - just a bit.

“I only said I was sharing the sweets. Everything else is mine.” 

Seiya grinned and stole another piece of chicken. “Being stingy is bad for you.” Usagi’s face got all red again as she boiled with rage, Seiya’s face got similarly red as she tried to hold in her laughter. 

“You’re so mean!” Usagi huffed. “You’re lucky I like you, or else I wouldn’t be your friend anymore.” Once Seiya finished chewing, she let a mischievous smirk form on her face. 

“Oh, you like me Bunhead?” Making a joke like this was a little daring. The last thing Seiya wanted to do was to scare Usagi off, but she couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this to tease her. And afterall, Usagi had been single for about a month, so teasing her about relationship stuff shouldn’t be an issue anymore. 

“Maybe not anymore,” said Usagi. She quickly turned her head away from Seiya. “Since you’re being so mean.” 

“Aw, come on.” Seiya was feeling daring, being around Usagi always got her feeling energetic. She leaned in close, getting her face really close to Usagi’s. The blonde’s cheeks got a bit red but she kept her head turned to the side. “I was just teasing, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” For a moment, Seiya paused, hesitating for a moment, thinking through what she was about to do. But she only paused for a moment, because Seiya wasn’t the best at thinking through her actions. Seiya leaned in all the way, pressing a kiss against Usagi’s cheek. “Does that make up for it?” 

Usagi was a bright red. She seemed flustered and shocked - but in a good way. Slowly, she turned to look at Seiya. Her cheeks were still glowing as she reached up and touched the spot where she kissed. 

Usagi stumbled over her words. “Um, well, I mean-” 

“Good afternoon, girls!” 

Both Usagi and Seiya jolted and quickly turned their heads to face the newcomer. Michiru stood by Seiya’s desk, a smile full of mirth as she looked between the two. As always, Michiru had that look on her face that screamed ‘I know what you two were up to’. Seiya could feel heat rise to her cheeks. Had Michiru really witnessed all that?   
“Am I interrupting something?” Michiru asked that innocently enough, tilting her head to add to the act. But Michiru couldn’t fool Seiya, she definitely knew she interrupted something. 

“Oh no, not at all!” Usagi was quick to reassure Michiru of that, nervously laughing and rubbing the back of her head. 

“Oh good.” With that, Michiru turned to Seiya, her tone turning a bit serious. “I came here to talk about something for the concert.” 

“Oh?” Seiya straightened up, momentarily forgetting her frustration at their moment being interrupted. 

“This is my fault entirely, just so you know. So don’t feel bad.” Michiru prefaced. “You’re going to need a suit for the concert. And I’m assuming you don’t know a suit?” Seiya nodded. “Just as I thought.”

“Oh, well, I can rent one-.”

Michiru cut Seiya off by putting her finger up. “No no, there’s no need to rent one. If you could come with me after school today, I can get you a suit. My family has a friend who works in the formal attire industry, and they should be willing to make any adjustments to the suit before the show.”

“Er, Miss Michiru.” Awkwardly, Seiya scratched her cheek. “I don’t have the money to buy a suit. Or pay for any adjustments.” 

Michiru looked affronted, as if what Seiya said was a personal insult. “Seiya, I will be buying you this suit. It’s really no problem for me.”

“Really? You’d do that? For me?”

Michiru nodded. “Of course, you are one of my performers. I need to make sure you’re properly taken care of.” Michiru paused for a moment before a playful grin spread out on her face. “And besides, every young butch needs to have a nice suit.” Her eyes drifted from Seiya to Usagi. “You never know when you may need it for a date.” 

Seiya’s face went red again. “Oh, uh, thanks. Thanks a lot. I’ll see you after school then.”

“Of course.” Michiru waved as she left, taking elegant strides out of the classroom, not looking back at the two teens. 

When it was clear Michiru was finally gone, Seiya and Usagi silently turned back to each other. An awkward atmosphere overtook the two, neither wanting to comment on what happened before Michiru came over. Seiya was worried if she brought it up Usagi would freak out. While Usagi - well - Usagi wasn’t sure what she felt, and she was trying to silently figure out why her heart was still beating so fast. But Usagi could feel the anxiousness radiating off of Seiya - so, to ease Seiya’s worrying, Usagi set one of her sweets on Seiya’s plate. 

When Seiya glanced up at Usagi in surprise, Usagi just smiled back. “I said I’d share my sweets with you, yeah?” Seiya smiled back, relaxing a little in her chair. 

“Yeah, you did say that.”

* * *

“Wow, I barely recognize you.” Yaten commented when Seiya walked into the Kou family living room. “You look good and don’t smell like ass for once.” The silver-haired smart ass in question was also looking very nice. She wore a short green dress that came to about mid-thigh with a nice v-neck in the front. It was highlighted by pieces of silver jewelry, all hand picked by Yaten for the occasion. A stunning silver necklace, big silver hoop earrings, and a few other silver accessories.

“Yaten!” Taiki hissed, adjusting her collar. “We just finished our previous punishment! If mother hears you talking like that, you’ll get us all in trouble again!” Unlike Yaten, Taiki was dressed in a more masculine way, but she still had hints of femininity in her outfit. She wore a nice dress shirt - that she ironed that afternoon - with a cute little black bowtie around the collar. A similarly black pleated skirt hung around her hips, covering most of her thighs. 

Yaten just grumbled and crossed her arms in response. “Whatever.”

“You…” Taiki sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

“Relax Taiki, today’s supposed to be fun for you two.” Seiya commented.

Releasing the tension in her shoulders, Taiki turned to Seiya. “You do look really good, by the way.” 

Seiya was dressed in the new suit Michiru had bought her. It fit so snugly! The color of the jacket and pants were the same, a standard black. Under the jacket was a new dress shirt - also bought by Michiru - and a nice blue tie. It was a dark navy blue that really stood out against the white and black of the shirt and jacket. Her socks were a similar shade of navy blue. Along with the nice clothes, Seiya had spent the better part of the day grooming, so she’d look perfect on stage. She was looking pretty handsome.

“I am looking pretty hot today, aren’t I?” Seiya grinned and picked up her guitar case. “Where’s ma? We gotta get going soon. Miss Michiru said I need to be there at least an hour early.”

“Right here.” Kakyuu said, walking into the foyer. Like her daughters, she was similarly dolled up for the occasion. “If everyone’s ready, let’s get going!” The sisters nodded together and followed Kakyuu outside of the house before pilling into the car their family had. It was an old thing, but it was good enough to get around in. Once everyone was in, Kakyuu started the car, pulling out of their driveway. “Everyone needs to be on their best behavior, alright? This is very important for Seiya.” The sisters all nodded in response, promising they wouldn’t cause too much trouble. The rest of the ride was in comfortable silence. Kakyuu pulled into a spot at the park, the venue for Michiru’s end-of-summer concert. A few people were already there, most of them crewmembers, who were rushing around making last minute preparations. The Kou family exited their vehicle, stepping out into the cool evening breeze. 

“Well, I need to go check in with Miss Michiru and get ready for the performance.” Seiya said, stepping away from her family. “So I’ll see you all after the show, okay?” 

Kakyuu stepped forward, smiling. “Do your best, Seiya. I know you’ll be amazing.” 

“Thanks ma,” Seiya gave her mother a thumbs up before parting from the group, walking towards the stage. She walked behind the stage to where Michiru and Haruka were waiting. Those two, of course, looked amazing. Haruka was in a black suit, like Seiya, but her tie and socks were a rich shade of royal blue. Michiru was in a stunning aquamarine dress that made her look like a Greek goddess. 

“Good evening, Seiya.” Michiru greeted, giving Seiya a small wave. Seiya nodded in response, her grip nervously tightening on her guitar case. She couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Here she was, about to play with one of the best violin players in the nation. The reality of the situation hit her like a brick. She felt nervous and excited all at once. “You have a little less than an hour to prepare, then it's showtime. Make sure your guitar is properly tuned.”

“Alright.” 

Seiya nodded before dutifully doing as told. She could not mess this up. If she somehow messed this performance up, she’d never be able to look at herself again. So, for the next fifty minutes, along with Michiru and Haruka, Seiya tuned her guitar and practiced her parts. While she was rehearsing, she could hear the crowd build on the other side of the stage. The stage blocked her view, so she couldn’t actually see the crowd, but it sounded pretty big. And from what Michiru had told her before, most of the attendees were a part of Tokyo’s social elites - but Usagi and the others were still coming, Michiru assured Seiya of that.

“It's time.” Michiru said after the supervisor of the event came to speak with her. “Remember what we practiced, Seiya. Proper posture, polite smile, and don’t move too much when you play, this isn’t a rock concert, afterall.” The little joke made Seiya smile softly as she stood from her seat. 

Haruka elbowed her - not roughly, but hard enough to make Seiya wobble a bit. “Don’t mess this up.” 

“I should be saying that to you.” Seiya scoffed and jostled Haruka back. The older girl just snorted. 

“Quiet you two!” Michiru snapped before turning her back on them. “We’re walking out now, behave.” With that, Michiru left them, taking elegant strides out onto the stage. A thunderous applause took over the area. Once the applause dipped down, Haruka clapped Seiya on the shoulder. 

“Well, see ya soon, kid.” Haruka straightened her back before walking out herself. Now alone, Seiya swallowed down any last second nervousness and adjusted her posture. As the applause died down for Haruka, Seiya took that as her cue to walk out on stage as well. The second she stepped onto the stage, she felt overwhelmed.

Actually, just calling the feeling ‘overwhelmed’ was a bit of an understatement. 

A sea of people, filling in rows upon rows of seats, clapped for her. Wealthy, well-dressed people; the upper crust of Tokyo’s elite. And well, a few friends. It was easy to spy Usagi’s bright blonde hair from up on the stage - along with Kakyuu’s fiery red hair or Yaten’s silky silver - those few familiar figures made a genuine grin form on Seiya’s cheeks. 

Her breath was still caught in her chest, but Seiya still strode to her spot on the stage. She may have felt exhilarated and overwhelmed at the big crowd, but there was no way in hell she was getting stage fright and messing it up. No sirree. Not Seiya Kou. Seiya made it to her spot before giving the crowd a curt bowc, bending at the waist until her chest was parallel with the floor. Then she stood, straightening out before lifting her guitar from her side and holding it properly in her hands. 

In front of her, Michiru made a slight nod, barely enough to be noticed. But Seiya noticed it - along with Haruka, it’s intended viewer. After the applause came to a complete stop, Haruka began the introduction to the first song. Her hands glided across the keys of the piano, filling the pavilion with a lovely melody. Michiru soon joined in with her violin, the firm strokes of her bow across the strings ringing loudly across the park. And then, it was Seiya’s turn to join in. Her fingers went to her guitar and she began to play the melody that had been practically branded into her muscle memory over the past few weeks. 

The rest of the concert was a blur after that. It was a beautiful song followed by applause, which was then followed by another entrancing melody. Seiya’s fingers worked tirelessly, playing everything she had been taught to perfection. She made sure she was following all of Michiru’s rules for how to present oneself when playing. She made sure she didn’t show how exhausted she felt. (Playing at a concert was surprisingly exhausting. Much more tiring than just practicing.) And eventually, after nearly two hours of playing, Seiya followed Michiru and Haruka off the stage. 

“Before you run off, Seiya.” Michiru said while Seiya packed her guitar back in its case. “Remember to mind your manners out there in the crowd. I’m sure a few of my associates in the music industry will come speak to you. Don’t drive them away with bad manners.”

Seiya gave her a lopsided grin as she snapped the locks to her guitar case in place. “Aw, c’mon Miss Michiru. Do I really look like someone with bad manners?” 

“I suppose you’re right.” Michiru conceded. “You don’t have bad manners, you just look a little impish.” When Seiya shot a glare her way, Michiru gave her one of her wry and knowing smiles. “Go enjoy yourself Seiya. Why keep speaking to me when I know you’d much rather speak to a certain blonde.” 

Seiya’s cheeks flushed red and she picked her guitar case up. “Thanks Miss Michiru, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Michiru didn’t respond and just kept up her ‘Don’t try to lie to me I already know everything’ smile. Grumbling, Seiya turned on heel, walking out from the backstage to the main area. Although, maybe it wasn’t bad Michiru knew about her crush on Usagi. Maybe Michiru would put in a good word for her. 

Those thoughts were quickly cut off by a loud, shrill voice. 

“Seiya you were awesome!!!” Usagi - accompanied by her friends, along with Seiya’s family - was standing right near the backstage entrance, seemingly just waiting to mob Seiya. “You looked nearly as cool as Haurka!”

“ _ Nearly  _ as cool as Haruka?” Scrunching her nose, Seiya gave Usagi a glare. “That should be the other way around: Haruka was  _ nearly  _ as cool as  _ me _ .”

“I dunno.” Another one of Usagi’s friends, Rei - the one who didn’t go to Juban - spoke up. “Haruka looks so handsome and mature behind the piano. You didn’t have the same vibe with just the guitar.” 

Minako nodded besides Rei. “She’s right, you know. Piano’s are super sexy and cool.”

“I don’t think you two should be telling people what’s sexy.” Yaten snapped at them. 

“Oh?” Mianko rose a brow. 

Rei leaned forward, daring Yaten to continue that thought. “Why’s that?”

“You’re both ugly as hell.”

In an instant, both Rei and Minako were chasing after Yaten. Their rowdy screaming and yelling made the three of them stick out in such a formal event. Yaten was definitely getting yelled at when they got home tonight, Seiya could see Kakyuu’s cheeks turning an angry shade of red from where she was standing. 

“Oh there’s Michiru!” Mako pushed past Seiya. “I need to ask her about her makeup. It looked so good!” Seiya blinked as she was shoved to the side, watching as Makoto approached Michiru before bombarding the beautiful women with questions. That left Seiya alone with Usagi and Kakyuu - Taiki and Ami were also there, but they were busy talking to the side, not paying anyone any bit of attention. 

“You did really amazing, sweatie.” Kakyuu spoke up, pulling Seiya into her arms and placing a big, fat kiss on her forehead. Seiya could feel her cheeks grow a bright red as she tried to push her overly affectionate mother away. She could practically feel Usagi looking at her - and it only made her more embarrassed. “You looked very handsome and mature up there. I’m so proud of you.” Kakyuu laid another fat - and embarrassing - kiss on Seiya’s cheek.

“Thanks, mom.” Finally, Seiya was able to push Kakyuu away. Her eyes were on the ground, she couldn’t bear to look at Usagi after she witnessed that humiliating display. But, then, it all got worse. Kakyuu suddenly turned to Usagi, smiling brightly. 

“So, you must be Usagi. I’ve been hearing a lot about you from Seiya.” Kakyuu offered a dazzled Usagi a handshake, who took the older woman’s hand. 

“You have?” Usagi asked innocently, much to Seiya’s growing horror. 

“Mom-.” Seiya tried to stop the conversation, before Kakyuu could say anything embarrassing, but Kakyuu kept talking. 

“Seiya talks about you all the time. She says you’re a very cute little girl.” 

Seiya felt like she was going to die if she had to keep hearing this. Wandering away from whatever awkward and humiliating things Kakyuu was telling Usagi right now, Seiya made her way over to a concessions table. She grabbed one of the cups of water that had been laid out and began to drink. Her eyes lingered on where Kakyuu and Usagi were still talking, silently praying that Kakyuu didn’t say anything too embarrassing. 

Her attention was quickly stolen away though when someone tapped on her shoulders. She was about to snap at the person, before remembering Michiru’s warning. The person who tapped on her shoulder - she would learn through conversation - was actually a music agent. And they wanted Seiya to come by in a week or so to audition for a spot in their agency! The offer sent Seiya over the moon - until about five other agents came over and offered her the same deal. In the time it took Seiya to drink her cup of water, she had accumulated about seven different business cards for different music companies. It felt so good, Seiya forgot how awful she felt mere minutes before. Her future was panning out! It would only be a matter of time before Seiya had her dream of being a big star, and could play in front of big crowds!

Meeting all those different producers had Seiya in complete nirvana. She was grinning like a little boy as she walked away from the concessions tabe, pockets full of swanky business cards. Everyone was going to be so jealous of her! Yaten and Taiki would finally have to admit that she was talented and cool and totally better than them. Kakyuu would finally confess that Seiya’s always been her favorite and best child. And Usagi would definitely be one hundred percent heads-over-heels for Seiya after this. 

Then, as she got back to where her mother was, reality hit her in the face. 

“Ah, Seiya! I’m so glad you’re back!” Kakyuu had a wide smile on her face, which wasn’t too concerning on its own. What  _ was  _ concerning was how red Taiki looked next to her. Or how Ami and Usagi were excitedly talking about ‘dinner next weekend’. “I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of inviting Usagi over for dinner next weekend - along with Taiki’s little friend Ami!” Physical dread filled Seiya’s stomach as she shared a horrified look with Taiki. Whether Kakyuu meant to or not, she was going to embarrass the absolute shit out of both Seiya and Taiki at this dinner. Usagi and Ami would never be able to look at them with any ounce of respect again. 

Seiya suddenly wished Kakyuu was still mad at her, just so she could avoid this horrible fate. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to update. Hopefully I can be more consistent with updates in these next few months! Please, don't be afraid to let me know what you thought! Any feedback is good! I'd love to hear it!


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